Technical Sergeant Ethan Cypress joined the United States Air Force Academy Band, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, in 2021. He currently performs as a trombonist with Pegasus & the Falconaires. He also performs on euphonium with the Concert and Ceremonial Bands. He also serves as the Cyber Security Liaison for the unit, as well as the enlisted advisor and music director of the Cadet Orchestra.
Prior to joining the Air Force, Ethan served as a copyist, orchestrater and arranger with a handful of opera companies across the United States. He also enjoyed a steady freelance career with wedding bands and other commercial music groups across Upstate NY, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. In 2019, Ethan won the solo jazz trombone competition hosted by the American Trombone Workshop in Washington, D.C. as well as the J.J. Johnson solo trombone competition hosted by the International Trombone Association.
As a composer, Ethan has been a semi-finalist and finalist for the American Prize in chamber music and wind band music. He has also been a finalist for both the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and the Morton Gould Young Classical Composer Awards. In 2017, his major work for saxophone sextet “Fickle Tone Zones” was performed by the Eos Sextet at both the Fischoff and M-Prize chamber music competitions.
EDUCATION:
2011 High School Diploma, Oneonta High School, Oneonta, NY
2015 Bachelors in Trombone Performance, SUNY Potsdam – Crane School of Music, Potsdam, NY
2019 Masters in Jazz Studies, University of Rochester – Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. DEC 2021 – Present, USAF Academy Band, Peterson AFB, CO
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Airman First Class – December 2021
Technical Sergeant – January 2022