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Chris Zatarain

A man wearing a checkered button-up shirt and rectangular glasses smiles at the camera. He has shoulder-length brown hair and a short beard and mustache. He appears to be standing in front of vines or other greenery.

Chris Zatarain is a second-year PhD Student in the Applied Intercultural Arts Research (AIAR) GIDP, where his research is focused within the field of ecomusicology, advised by Dr. Jennifer Post. As an interdisciplinary scholar and multimodal artist, Chris is interested in the ways that climate and culture intersect and are sounded/heard through musical and sonic practices.

Chris earned his BA in Music (2023) and MA in AIAR (2025) from the University of Arizona. He was selected as University Fellow for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. In addition to his academic research, Chris enjoys performing around Tucson and Southern Arizona, currently holding the position of 2nd Oboe/English horn in the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra. Chris also works as a photographer and videographer, serving as a research assistant and documentarian of La Peña del SurCo, a monthly Latin American folk music gathering led by Dr. Jennie Gubner, as well as the Watershed Soundscape Project (2024-2025). He served as a correspondent and senior correspondent at Planet Forward from 2022-2024 where he contributed creative stories about music, sound, and climate change.

CARSON SCHOLARS PROGRAM SPONSORED BY

Thomas R. Brown Family Foundation

College of Engineering 

College of Science Galileo Circle

Graduate College

Arizona Institute for Resilience

Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment & Social Justice

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences