Event

Saturday Salons: Ethan Uslan

Old-Time Piano: Ragtime & more
America's rich musical past, explored with passion, humor, and virtuosity. Selections from a vast repertoire including original arrangements of Civil-War era songs, New Orleans Jazz, 1920s Charlestons, blues, stomps, Harlem stride piano, swing, Cuban rumbas, and jazzed-up versions of classical masterpieces.

Ethan Uslan, piano

Ethan Uslan is a ragtime/jazz pianist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a 3-time winner of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest (yes - that really exists!) and has performed all over the USA, Europe, and Cyberspace, where his jazzed-up Für Elise has gone viral.

Aside from solo work, Ethan has appeared with symphony orchestras, jazz bands, improv comedy groups, and even a clown show. He began studying classical piano at the age of 9 in his hometown of South Orange, NJ. As a teenager, he took jazz piano lessons and in college (Indiana University) he studied classical piano and musicology. At some point in college, Ethan had a musical identity crisis. He still loved Bach and Beethoven, but he realized he didn't want to devote his life to classical music. Something about ragtime and early jazz was luring him in. Something about the rhythms, the harmonies, the catchy melodies, and the improvisations brought him joy. So Ethan embarked on a plan to figure out how to play ragtime and early jazz styles. And he hasnt looked back since.

Now Ethan lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He plays locally but also travels to help pianos in need of syncopation treatment. His performances are filled with passion, humor, virtuosity, and a deep love for America's rich musical past. His vast repertoire includes original arrangements of Civil-War era songs, New Orleans Jazz, 1920s Charlestons, blues, stomps, Harlem stride piano, swing, Cuban rumbas, jazzed-up versions of classical masterpieces, and one Hawaiian song called Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula.