Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Ethan Gurwitz (b. 2000) is a composer and French horn player based in East Lansing, Michigan. His music explores themes of the human experience, destiny, nature, and dreams. His work combines mathematical patterns and geometric design with deeply felt emotion, ranging from ecstatic joy to profound emptiness.
Ethan’s music has been performed by the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the SMU Meadows Wind Ensemble, trombocalist Ron Wilkins, Sandbox Percussion, the Metropolitan Winds, the EAMA Resident String Quartet, soprano Bethany Jelinek, hornist Shea Kells-Murphy, pianist Isobel Archer, and musicians of the Orchestra of the Scottish Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, among others. His works have been presented across North America and Europe, with upcoming performances in Australia. He was a 2023 Nadia Boulanger Fellow and a 2024 Shea Family Fellow at the European American Musical Alliance Institute in Paris, France. He won the 2021 Alpha Chi Edwin W. Gaston, Jr. National Scholarship and has been selected for the International Trombone Festival Composers Workshop.
As a horn player, Ethan has performed widely, including two concerts at Carnegie Hall and the 2022 International D-Day Memorial Service in Normandy, France. He has also performed with the Victoria Symphony as well as the Austin Chamber Music Festival Orchestra. He has performed with the wind ensembles, symphony orchestras, opera productions, and French horn studios at both SMU and the University of Texas and currently performs with the MSU Wind Symphony. He has worked as a French horn instructor throughout Texas, teaching lessons and masterclasses to well over 100 students. He also has sung tenor voice with the EAMA Chorale at L’Institut de France and La Schola Cantorum in Paris.
He is currently pursuing a DMA in music composition at Michigan State University. He previously earned a Master of Music in composition with a concentration in horn performance from the University of Texas Butler School of Music, as well as bachelor’s degrees in music composition (BM) and applied mathematics (BS) from SMU, where he was recognized as Standard Bearer for both the Meadows School of the Arts and Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. His primary composition instructors include David Biedenbender, Omar Thomas, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Donald Grantham, Lane Harder, Xi Wang, and Robert J. Frank. His horn instructors include Gregory Hustis, Alex Kienle, Patrick Hughes, and Marc Lumley.
[Updated: 3/27/26]
