Steve Ferry

Adjunct Professor, Percussion

     Steve Ferry teaches Applied Percussion, Percussion Methods and Jazz History at the University of West Florida as well as Applied Percussion at Pensacola State College. He also directs the UWF Percussion Ensemble and is assistant director of the UWF Jazz Ensemble.

He is currently a performing member of the Pensacola Symphony, Pensacola Opera and Pensacola Children’s Chorus Orchestra. He also performs many styles of music along the gulf coast playing drum set, steel pan, vibraphone and hand percussion with a variety of ensembles in a variety of settings.

He has performed with a number of big bands including the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Nelson Riddle Orchestra( led by Chris Riddle), Big Band U.S.A., the Roy Russel Big Band, the Don Snowden All-Star Band, the Joe Occhipinti Continental Swing Orchestra and the East Side West Side Big Band. He has also played with the jazz ensembles of UWF, Pensacola Junior College, the University of South Alabama, Xavier University and the University of New Orleans.

He has performed in the Pensacola, Mobile, Seaside, Magnolia Springs and New Orleans Jazz festivals as well as music festivals in Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and Brazil.

He holds two Bachelors of Arts degrees from the University of West Florida, one in Interdisciplinary Humanities and one in Music Performance. He has studied jazz improvisation with Ellis Marsalis, and jazz drumming with Chuck Christian, Conner Shaw and David Lee (played and recorded with Sonny Rollins).