At the tender age of 11 Ethan Atkinson picked up his first guitar and, as his father says,"he never put it down". He attended the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music and graduated from North Texas State University College of Music in 1984 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Guitar Performance. After graduation, he moved to Houston and began his career as a professional jazz and classical guitarist. He performed in many prominent venues including The Great Caruso, The Alley Theatre, Masraff's, and The Warwick Hotel. Ethan has also played for many key organizations including, The Hines Foundation, The Welch Foundation, and the Houston Restaurant Association. He has been performing for over 21 years with The Ethan Atkinson Jazz Combo and with other local bands such as The Ed Gerlach Orchestra, Phil Grey's Swing Band, Benny Theiler's Combo, and The Kit Reid Band. Over the years Ethan has performed with many celebrities and was frequently called on to play with Broadway touring companies. The Ethan Atkinson Jazz Combo frequently played the Kemah Jazz Festival and has been invited to perform in Europe, the UK and in the Caribbean. Ethan was the first Suzuki-trained classical guitar teacher in Texas area. He studied with masters William Kossler and Frank Longay, and was asked for his input into the first Suzuki Method Classical Guitar Book. Ethan was passionate about the Suzuki music philosophy and was dedicated to the many students he taught over the years at his own private studio: The Ethan Atkinson Guitar Studio, and at the College of the Mainland, St. Mark Lutheran School, and The School of the Woods, among others. Ethan was a long standing member of many notable organizations such as the Houston Professional Musicians Assn. Local 65-699, American Federation of Musicians, the Houston Music Teachers Assn. and the Houston Assn. of Suzuki Strings of America. Ethan was a long-time member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Houston. On October 22, 1994, Ethan married his 'sweetheart', Debra Searcy, in a beautiful fairytale ceremony at the Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston.
Donate to the "Ethan Atkinson Memorial Scholarship Fund" in the amount of your choice:
© 2005 Houston Area Suzuki Strings Association HASSA web master ref: http://www.hassa.org/eatkinson.htm last revised October 20, 2005