Dr. Ethan Strickland is an educator, performer, and collaborator, performing regularly as a soloist and chamber musician. His professional affiliations outside of VSU include working as the Assistant Production Manager at the Yellow Barn Summer Music Festival, serving as an Advisory Board member for the International Foundation for Contemporary Music, and serving on the Education Committee for the Percussive Arts Society.

Ethan has been invited to present clinics nationally at conferences and institutions such as The Midwest Clinic, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Vanderbilt University, Shenandoah Conservatory, and Fort Hays State University. 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 a collaborator, Ethan has worked directly with composers including Daijana Wallace, Keaton Garrett, Ancel Neely, Nate Heyder, Yaz Lancaster, and Chris Thompson.

Ethan earned his DMA from Michigan State University, Masters from the University of Kansas, and completed his undergraduate work at Reinhardt University. Ethan’s previous teachers include Professor Gwendolyn Dease, Dr. Jon Weber, Professor Kevin Jones, Dr. Sam Um, Dr. Olivia Kieffer, and Dr. Nathaniel Lee. Ethan is an endorsee of Pearl/Adams, Black Swamp Percussion, Vic Firth Percussion, and Zildjian Cymbals respectively.