Category Archives: Drums and Percussion

Ethan Gray

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DRUMS, PERCUSSION, PIANO

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Ethan Gray is a percussionist residing in Reno, Nevada. The art of percussion has taken him through multiple genres and instruments from Japanese marimba to Cuban hand drumming. He has performed professionally for the Billings Symphony in Montana, where he is from, as well as the Reno Philharmonic. He has a keen interest in the exploration of the percussive arts and its natural tendencies of experimentation and was recently commissioned to be the music director for the play Peter and the Starcatcher at Reno Little Theater, a project that required innovation and an unconventional approach to the stage.

Ethan is an educator in the local community where he teaches private percussion lessons, the UNR Marching Band, Applied Percussion, and Music Appreciation and regularly spends time at local schools working with young musicians.

Ethan holds a Bachelors of Music Performance with a focus on percussion from Montana State University-Billings and a Masters of Music Percussion Performance from University of Nevada Reno.

John Bennum

john-bennumGuitar, Drums, Piano, Ukulele, Bass, Trombone, Euphonium/ Baritone

John is currently a student of the Jazz and Improvisational Music program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Previously he attended Northwestern University, where he studied classical trombone with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a high school student he received numerous awards and accolades for his participation in Washoe County and Nevada State solo and ensemble competitions, and held the position of Principal Trombone with the Reno Youth Symphony Orchestra for four years. John has attended the internationally renowned summer program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan on a full-ride Governor’s Scholarship.

An active member of the Reno-Truckee-Tahoe music scene, John plays trombone with the Reno Jazz Orchestra, and is in demand as a freelancer. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has worked with many different groups across all styles. He has an advanced knowledge of music theory, and draws on a wealth of experience working as a composer, arranger, and recording artist. John believes that music lessons should be fun first and foremost, and strives to tailor his lessons to the individual.