Ethan Hayden was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, but raised primarily in the North Texas area. In 2008, he graduated from the University of North Texas magna cum laude with B.M.s in Composition and Theory, and recently received his M.A. in composition from the University at Buffalo. His principal composition teachers include Cort Lippe, Jeffrey Stadelman, Joseph Klein, Andrew May, and David Bithell. Still at UB, he is currently a Ph.D. Candidate, in the process of completing his dissertation. Ethan is the Associate Director of Wooden Cities, a Buffalo-based contemporary music ensemble, and is active as a performer, regularly presenting new and experimental works for voice. His book on Sigur Rós's ( ) for the 33⅓ series was published by Bloomsbury in August 2014.