The fine arts are an important part of Matthes family life. My Dad directs the Corvallis Community Band and plays clarinet in the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band. My brother Adam is a Viola music performance graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He is now in graduate studies for Viola at Rice University, Fall 2007. My sister Leah is a Theater Stage Management graduate from the Cornish College of the Arts, and completed a theater management master's degree at Goldsmiths College in London. My other sister Megan completed a Ballet degree from the University of Utah, and is currently a children's ballet instructor in Oregon.

Although I chose engineering as a career path, music is a very important part of my life. I begin playing the trumpet in the sixth grade and started taking private lessons in eigth grade.

During my freshman year in high school I found a teacher I liked very much, Jay Chen, and studied classical trumpet with him the following six years. From middle school through high school and college to the present, I have played in concert, symphonic, and athletic bands - both at school and in the community - a high school orchestra, plus college small brass ensembles.

I have particularly fond memories from the Corvallis Community Band, San Jose Metropolitan Band, Ashland City Band, and Rogue Valley Symphonic Band as well as a March 1998 musical tour of Taiwan, R.O.C. with the Oregon State University Symphonic Band.

I have compiled a list of brass instrument recordings I really enjoy which you can view as a PDF file: Ethan's Recommended Recordings

The following file is a digitized excerpt (mp3) from a long out-of-print LP featuring Doc Severinsen with the Oregon State University Symphonic Band under the direction of James Douglass circa 1980. To my knowledge, no recordings of the Floyd Werle Trumpet Concerto exist in print, which is a shame.
For your listening enjoyment:

Movement I
Movement II
Movement III

I believe this content is out-of-print; however, if you know otherwise, inform me, and I will promptly remove this file.

Here are some interesting links:

• * H&B Direct, the best online classical cd catalog
• * Trumpet Gearhead, a very informative site about trumpets
• * The Listening Room, a web site that streams great classical and jazz trumpet music, including some out-of-print Maurice Andre LP's
• * Sheet Music Service of Portland, a once great store for classical sheet music.
• * Do you like classical music recordings, but feel the regular CD format doesn't cut it? Check out Super Audio CD's. You'll need an SACD player, but the improvement in sound is significant. Be sure to order only Hybrid SACD discs that are backwards compatible to regular CD.

I'm a life-long Portland Trail Blazers fan.

Social Dancing is another hobby. I got started as an undergrad through the outstanding student-directed Oregon State University Ballroom Dance Club.