Bio

Jay Ryan is a composer and classically trained percussionist. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2025, where he studied with She-e Wu and Christopher Lamb. His artistic influences include American minimalism, marching percussion, applied math, and Buddhism.

Jay is interested in music's power to hold space--both for the audience and the performers. He feels that music is an opportunity to be invited into ourselves in a time of abundant external content. In recent years, seeing a performance is often one of the least stimulating experiences in our day--which he sees as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Currently, he lives and works in Arlington, Virginia. When he's not composing or coding, he enjoys playing board games, cooking for his friends, and watching films.