Terry Ewell

Biography

Dr. Terry B. Ewell is a bassoonist, educator, scholar, and academic administrator whose career has spanned more than four decades. He serves as Professor of Bassoon and Digital Instruction in the Department of Music at Towson University, where he has been recognized for excellence in teaching, online education, and curriculum development. Ewell was the first music faculty member at Towson to offer online courses and has taught subjects ranging from bassoon performance and pedagogy to music theory, composition, and ethics. His professional profile reflects a combination of performance achievement, scholarly productivity, technological innovation, and institutional leadership.

As a performer, Ewell has established an international reputation as a bassoon soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. He served for seven years as Principal Bassoon of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and later held principal positions with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and was a frequent substitute with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. He currently holds positions with the Bach in Baltimore Orchestra and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he has appeared with orchestras in the United States, Asia, and Australia, while his chamber music performances have taken him to Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Hong Kong, and numerous venues throughout North America. His recordings have been released on labels including Musical Heritage Society, Hong Kong Records, Pickwick Records, Cambria Records, and Naxos.

Ewell is particularly noted for his pioneering contributions to bassoon pedagogy and digital music education. Long before online instruction became commonplace, he developed extensive web-based resources, instructional videos, MIDI accompaniments, and multimedia teaching materials for bassoonists worldwide. His “Bassoon Digital Professor” project, online publications, and educational resources hosted through the International Double Reed Society and his own websites have accumulated millions of views and downloads. His pedagogical writings have appeared in journals across the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, and Australia, helping to shape contemporary approaches to bassoon instruction and performance.

In addition to his artistic and scholarly accomplishments, Ewell has been a significant leader in higher education and the music profession. He served as Chair of the Division of Music at West Virginia University and later as Chair of the Department of Music at Towson University from 2000 to 2009. During his administrative tenure, he helped expand enrollment, secure substantial funding for academic programs, and support major facilities and equipment initiatives. He also served as President of the International Double Reed Society and as an officer and accreditation evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music. Through his combined achievements as performer, teacher, scholar, innovator, and administrator, Terry B. Ewell has become one of the influential figures in contemporary bassoon pedagogy. For further information, see: https://terryewell.com/.