Ryan Pearson

Dr. Ryan Pearson (b. 1994) is a Midwestern-based percussionist, performer, and educator. He performs regularly as a chamber musician, orchestra member, and soloist. Ryan is currently the Assistant Professor of Percussion and Assistant Director of Bands at Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS. He is an avid performer and collaborator, ranging from precise execution of the masterworks to the exploration and creation of exciting, diverse, and artistic percussion music. 

Ryan is a prolific performer and has played throughout the continental United States and Europe, including tours through Florence, Rome, London, and Amsterdam. He is a Heartland Marimba Concert Artist and a founding member of the PostScript Duo. He performs regularly with the Hays Symphony Orchestra, the Lawrence Community Orchestra, and is a former member of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony and Sinfonia da Camera. Ryan was a Semi-Finalist in the Southern California International Marimba Competition, the Naftzger Young Artist Competition, and the Great Plains International Marimba Competition. He performed with the International Marimba Orchestra at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2021.

As an educator, Ryan has worked at many high schools throughout the Midwest while teaching at Fort Hays State University since 2019. He was most recently the Head Percussion Instructor for the Mahomet-Seymour School District in Mahomet, IL and an Instructor at Blue Valley West HS in Overland Park, KS. Ryan serves as a Percussion Instructor at High Plains Music Camp at Fort Hays State University and the Midwestern Music Camp at the University of Kansas. 

Ryan earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Kansas under Dr. Michael Compitello. He earned his MM degree at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying under William Moersch and Ricardo Flores and his BM at Iowa State University studying under Dr. Matthew Coley and Dr. Jonathan Sharp.