Professor of Music Brent Edstrom Named Amy M. Ryan Endowed Professor

Whitworth University is pleased to announce Brent Edstrom, professor of music, has been named the next Amy M. Ryan Endowed Professor within the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Edstrom came to Whitworth in 2000 and has shared his love of jazz, composition and music technology with hundreds of students. 

When not in the classroom he is an author, composer, performer and arranger. Edstrom has published more than 100 note-for-note transcriptions of the music of Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Kenny Barron, Oscar Peterson and others, as well as 58 volumes for Hal Leonard Corp.’s Jazz Piano Series. 

His publications include Recording on a Budget and Arduino for Musicians: A Complete Guide to Arduino and Teensy Microcontrollers, distributed internationally by Oxford University Press, and Musicianship in the Digital Age, distributed by Thomson Course Technology. 

Trustee and alumnus David Myers ’64 and his wife, alumna Carol (Peterkin) Myers ’65, funded Whitworth’s seventh endowed position in honor of Carol’s grandmother Amy M. (Johns) Ryan, who attended Whitworth from 1894-97.

The professorship is awarded to an outstanding faculty member who embodies Ryan’s love of the liberal arts, her skill in writing and her innovative spirit.

Whitworth Provost & Executive Vice President Gregor Thuswaldner wrote in his notification letter to Edstrom, “Your colleagues on the selection committee are very enthusiastic about what you will bring to the Ryan professorship and what this opportunity will enable you to accomplish. In their discussion, the committee praised the breadth, depth, and outstanding quality of your scholarly and creative accomplishments. Your support of women and engagement with mainline churches equally impressed the committee. Your research profile and interests as well as your role as a mentor fit the description of the Amy Ryan professorship perfectly.” 

Edstrom’s appointment will begin July 1, 2021, and run for four years. 

About Whitworth University:

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.