"powerhouse composer/musician"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"Pile-driving percussionist Ethan Deppe accompanies with what sounds like the wrath of God."
- Chicago Reader
"[Ethan's] work gives excitement and urgency...full of evocative harmonies and tensions."
- Centerstage Chicago
“Ethan Deppe’s musical direction is top notch”
- Chicago Sun-Times
“Of particular note here is drummer Ethan Deppe; Deppe keeps the beat crisp and makes the air scintillate with his cymbal work.”
- Chicago Stage Review
"dynamic scoring"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"...the work of percussionist Ethan Deppe provide[s] an intense beat of drums"
- Pioneer Press
"intensely rhythmic"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"Composer Ethan Deppe's music has a driving rhythmic force."
- Centerstage Chicago
"absolutely haunting"
- Chicago Sun-Times
“cleverly crafted songs”
- Windy City Times
“marvelous music”
- Steadstyle Chicago
"Smart's excellent script is enhanced by composer Ethan Deppe's score, which is accessible and engaging. It's bouncy when it needs to be but it can also be surprisingly moving and plaintive."
- Chicago Free Press
"interesting, lovely songs"
- Backstage.com
"unusually sophisticated"
- Chicago Reader
"gorgeous song[s]"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"Deppe's rhythmically and musically interesting score has a hint of dissonance and some well-arranged vocals, most notably in "Grey Sky, Gray Ocean." Its strength lies in its lovely ballads like the tender "Go Sail, Ishmael," in which a mother encourages her son to take advantage of his youth while he can, and the delicate, expressive "Words", about estranged lovers dancing around their feelings for each other. The score also contains the lighthearted "Tuna!" and a variation on the sea shanty "Ye Who Raises the Whale."
- Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
“the harmonies are razor sharp”
- Chicago Tribune
“Under musical director Ethan Deppe, the cast of 16 nails Sondheim’s tricky rhythms and his tight harmonic modulations.”
- Windy City Times
“The ensemble nailed their songs with a startling effectiveness.”
- Chicago Critic
“Ethan Deppe’s five-player ensemble makes the Ross and Adler score sound new.”
- Syracuse New Times
“A tight band, led by keyboard player Ethan Deppe, successfully negotiates a variety of popular music styles.”
- The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)
“The vocal work, overseen by Musical Director Ethan Deppe is terrific, there are some wonderful harmonies in the chorus work.”
- Stage Entrance
“...a show filled with radiant music (Ethan Deppe, Music Director)...”
- The Ithaca Journal
“dynamic music director”
- Ithaca Times
“The cast projected naturally (no mics) with every lyric crystal-clear - how refreshing to the ear.”
- Chicago Critic