Ryan “Dr. F.” Farrell. Credit: Michael S. Levy
When the pandemic shut down touring, Mushroomhead’s Ryan “Dr. F.” Farrell went back to college to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition at Cleveland State University. He had stopped taking classes and participating in the program back in 2007 because of Mushroomhead’s hefty touring schedule.

After finishing his Bachelor’s, Farrell decided to get his Master’s degree as well and “capitalize on the COVID downtime.” 

Having finished his degree, his upcoming recital in composition for the Master of Music degree takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Waetjen Auditorium on the CSU campus.

Grammy-winning pianist Angelin Chang, Mari Sato, Nicholas Diodore, Cara Tweed, James Rhodes and Cardinal Brass will join Farrell for the performance. Admission is free, and it’s open to the public. 

This article appears in Nov 2-15, 2022.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.