Biography

Raised in Marietta, Georgia, Ethan Strickland is a percussionist, performer, and educator, performing regularly as a soloist and chamber musician. He is passionate about community outreach and the creation of diverse, artistic percussion music. Ethan is a passionate collaborator, working directly with composers such as Daijana Wallace, Keaton Garrett, Ancel Neely, Nate Heyder, Yaz Lancaster, Chris Thompson, among others.

Ethan has performed with artists from groups such as Bang on a Can All-Stars, Heartland Marimba, Sō Percussion, New Morse Code, the Arx Duo, and the Percussion Collective. As an educator, Ethan has been invited to perform and present clinics at institutions such as Vanderbilt University, Virginia State University, Fort Hays State University and Arkansas State University. His current research is entitled, “Vulnerability and A Word”, which focuses on how a particular emotion can influence the creation of percussion works through collaboration between composers and performers.

Receiving his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance at Reinhardt University, Ethan was the 2019 Reinhardt University Concerto Competition winner as well as the recipient of the Sal Gentile Jazz Scholarship. Serving as a graduate teaching assistant, Ethan earned his Masters in Music Performance at the University of Kansas. Ethan’s previous teachers include Dr. Olivia Kieffer, Dr. Nathaniel Lee, and Dr. Sam Um.

He is in the final year of pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University as a graduate assistant studying with Professor Gwendolyn Dease, Dr. Jon Weber, and Professor Kevin Jones.