Ryan Lewis

Percussion

BME (Furman University), MM (Florida State University), DMA (University of South Carolina)

Dr. Ryan C. Lewis is Professor of Percussion at Ouachita Baptist University where he teaches Percussion and Music History courses and directs the Percussion Ensemble, Marching Band Drum Line, and Steel Drum Ensembles. Previously he served on the music faculties of Claflin University, the University of South Carolina, and Florida State University.

Lewis has performed as timpanist-percussionist with many professional symphony orchestras and under the direction of maestros Keith Lockhart, David Zinman, and Leonard Slatkin. He has served as Principal Percussionist of the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra and given solo, chamber, and lecture-recital presentations at Percussive Arts Society

International Conventions, College Music Society National Conventions, and Texas Music Educators Association Convention. Lewis has appeared with So Percussion, Third Coast Percussion, Bob Becker, John Harbison, Mannheim Steamroller, Smokey Robinson, Habib Koité, and Haiqiong Deng in her Carnegie Hall debut. He currently performs with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Southern Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and chamber groups Trio di Risata and Duo Matre.

Lewis holds degrees from the University of South Carolina, Florida State University, and Furman University. A past President of the Arkansas Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, Lewis is an active member of PAS and the College Music Society and an Artist-Educator for Dynasty instruments, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, Black Swamp Percussion instruments, Evans drum heads, and Sabian cymbals.