Terry Ewell

Biography

Terry B. Ewell is a bassoon, music theory, and online professor at the Department of Music at Towson University. In over 40 years as a professional musician, he has received recognition as a performer, teacher, scholar, and administrator.

For seven years he served as Principal Bassoon of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and later he was Principal Bassoon of the Wheeling Symphony and Acting Principal Bassoon of the West Virginia Symphony. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the IDRS 2004 Conference Orchestra (Melbourne, Australia), and with several regional orchestras in the USA. His performances as a chamber musician have been heard in Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Hungary, and throughout the United States. He has recorded for Musical Heritage Society, Hong Kong Records, Pickwick Records, Cambria Records and with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra for Naxos. In 2018 he traveled to Spain to give a presentation at the International Double Reed Society Conference. Currently he performs with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and Bach In Baltimore.

Dr. Ewell has gained a reputation for his innovative approaches to bassoon pedagogy. He is a pioneer in the application of MIDI, MP3, and online video for bassoon instruction. His YouTube videos, website materials, and web publications with the International Double Reed Society (Bassoon-Family Fingering Companion, the IDRS Reed Project, and the IDRS MIDI site) have been viewed or downloaded over two million times. His articles on various aspects of bassoon pedagogy have received international attention with publications in American, Dutch, British, and Spanish journals. In the summers he teaches at the Masterworks Festival (Kentucky) and the Crescendo Summer Institute (Hungary). 

Dr. Ewell was the first music faculty member to offer online courses at Towson University. He continues to teach music theory, composition, ethics, and pedagogy courses in online formats.

Dr. Ewell completed his 14th year of service as an administrator in 2009. He was Chairperson of the Division of Music at West Virginia University for five years and subsequently served from 2000-2009 as Chairperson of the Department of Music at Towson University. During his leadership at Towson University, music major enrollment in the Department of Music has grown from 282 to almost 350 students. His efforts helped to secure more than $300,000 in additional funds for the Department of Music and more than $20,000 for the International Double Reed Society. In 2001 he also administered a successful conference for the International Double Reed Society that raised more than $40,000 in revenue. He has written successful grants to the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council. In addition, he played an important role in the planning of the Towson University Creative Arts Center Building Project and the securing of more than $1.5 million of new equipment and instruments for the Department of Music. 

Dr. Ewell served four years as President of the International Double Reed Society, which has a worldwide membership of more than 4,000. In November 2005, he was elected Chair of Region 6 (Northeastern States) and Executive Committee Officer of the National Association of Schools of Music. Ewell presently serves as an accreditation evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music.