My Story
Ethan’s musical story started long before jazz became the center of his life.At six years old, he began playing on an acoustic upright piano, mostly learning pop songs through YouTube tutorials. At that point, music was something he explored naturally and casually. He would play, take breaks, come back to it, and learn things that caught his interest rather than following a strict path.At seven, his attention shifted toward rhythm when he received an electronic drum kit for his birthday. He began playing drums and developed an early feel for groove, timing, and rhythmic coordination. Even though piano was still part of his life, music continued to come in phases rather than through one continuous course of study.At thirteen, Ethan returned to the piano more seriously. He began classical lessons with Angela Bardosh, which gave him a stronger technical foundation and a more structured approach to the instrument. This was the point where piano began changing from something he simply enjoyed into something he wanted to understand on a deeper level.Then, at fourteen, he discovered jazz and bebop.That discovery completely changed the direction of his musical life. He became fascinated by improvisation, harmony, swing, and the freedom of being able to create in the moment. Bebop especially caught his attention, and jazz quickly became the music he wanted to devote himself to. He began listening more seriously, practicing with greater focus, studying jazz language, and developing his own approach to improvisation.Some of Ethan’s earliest experience actually playing jazz with other musicians came at home. For fun, he would play in a family jazz trio with his brother on drums and his father on bass. These informal sessions gave him an early opportunity to experience what it was like to play with a rhythm section, interact musically, and make music with other people rather than practicing alone.Wanting to take that experience further, Ethan joined the École de Jazz de Montréal, where he became part of his first formal jazz combo. Playing in the combo introduced him to a more structured ensemble environment and helped him develop his skills in accompaniment, improvisation, listening, and communication with other musicians.He later joined the school’s big band, where he played for approximately a year and a half. Performing in a larger ensemble introduced another side of jazz playing: following arrangements, supporting sections, locking in with a rhythm section, interpreting written music, and understanding his role within a larger musical group.From there, Ethan began entering Montréal’s jam-session scene. His first jam session was at Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill, where drummer Jim Doxas was leading the session. That experience became an important step in his development, introducing him to the unpredictability and excitement of playing with musicians he had not necessarily rehearsed with before. Jam sessions soon became another important part of his musical education, helping him learn how to call tunes, adapt quickly, listen closely, accompany different musicians, and communicate onstage in real time.As he progressed, Ethan sought out musicians and teachers who could expose him to different parts of the jazz tradition. His studies eventually included musicians and educators such as Rossano Sportiello, Sullivan Fortner, Geoffrey Keezer, Donald Vega, Howard Rees, Peter Madsen, Chris Byars, Shan Verma, David Ryshpan, Willy Barreto, Chad Linsley, and others. Through them, he explored bebop, stride piano, the Barry Harris approach to harmony and movement, modern harmony, Latin styles, composition, counterpoint, solo piano playing, ensemble interaction, and audition preparation.Performance became an increasingly important part of his development. Ethan began playing in combos, big bands, trios, quintets, jam sessions, and other collaborative settings. He performed around Montréal and later gained experience playing in places such as New York City and Florida, including musical environments such as Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s Club, Upstairs Jazz Club, Dièse Onze, Le Balcon, and Cabaret Jazz L’Entracte.Each of these environments gave him a different kind of experience. Some required him to accompany other musicians, some placed him in formal ensemble settings, and others required him to react instantly to musicians he had never played with before. Through these performances, he continued learning how to listen, support, lead, accompany, and communicate with other players in real time.Along the way, he became involved in jazz camps, competitions, and other musical opportunities. These experiences gave him the chance to meet more musicians, perform in unfamiliar situations, and measure his progress outside of his regular practice environment. He received JazzWorks scholarships, was selected for the Conn-Selmer Centerstage Jazz Band, became a semifinalist in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club International Jazz Piano Competition, and won the Jazz 4 the Ages Youth Competition.His musical interests also started expanding beyond jazz piano.At sixteen, Ethan began becoming seriously interested in orchestral composition and film music. What initially began as curiosity turned into another major direction in his development. He started studying orchestration, experimenting with DAWs and virtual instruments, studying scores, and learning how music can support emotion, storytelling, and picture.He currently studies orchestration and DAW-based composition with former McGill instructor Jeff Johnston. Through this work, he is learning how to think beyond the piano and write for larger groups of instruments, particularly strings and orchestra. His jazz background continues to influence this side of his music, especially in the way he thinks about harmony, rhythm, phrasing, and musical color.Now, Ethan is developing along two paths at the same time.One is jazz piano: continuing to deepen his understanding of bebop, improvisation, harmony, ensemble playing, and the jazz tradition.The other is composition: learning orchestration, film scoring, arranging, and how to create music that helps tell a story.His goal is not necessarily to choose one over the other. He hopes to build a life in music in which he can continue growing as both a jazz pianist and a film composer, using the things he learns in each world to influence the other.