Eric Eakes enjoys an active and vibrant career as a performer, teacher, recording artist, and artistic content consultant. He has performed with internationally recognized artists including Estelle, Andrea Bocelli, Jorge Mejia, Ben Folds, Jon Secada, Garth Knox, Take 5, and Midori. While in his home state of North Carolina, Eric worked in the Fayetteville Symphony, Durham Symphony, and as a freelance musician for local opera and musical theatre performances. Since moving to South Florida, he has worked with the Naples Philharmonic, Miami Bach Society, Orchestra Miami, Palm Beach Symphony, and in many studio recording and film scoring projects. Some of his favorite experiences have included recording for multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy award winning albums and performing the music of The Pink Panther and Star Wars live with film in concert.
Eric holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Jodi Levitz. He graduated summa cum laude with a doctoral research focus on contextual intonation and musical tuning systems. In addition to his role as a student, Eric worked as the Personnel and Operations Manager of the Henry Mancini Institute, the premiere graduate orchestra in residence at the University of Miami, and as the assistant to the Artistic Coordinator of the Frost Stamps Ensembles.
An avid supporter of new music, Eric has had the privilege to meet and work with award winning composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Christopher Theofanidis, Robert Paterson, and Martin Bresnick. Through his work in the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, he has also cultivated a great appreciation for film music and has since performed with film composition stars such as John Williams, Quincy Jones, Jeff Beal, and James Newton Howard. When he is not performing, Eric enjoys sharing his experiences with eager minds and helping students build the tools needed to achieve their artistic and career goals. As an artistic consultant, Eric works with musicians on topics such as recording professional quality audio, video, content branding, and the coordination of large scale projects.
