The son of two conservatory trained musicians, Hirsh began playing piano at age 6 in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri and developed early interests in jazz and synthesizers. He studied with regionally renowned pianist Carolbeth True, who quickly saw in him a natural talent for improvisation. Hirsh was playing professional gigs at area restaurants and nightclubs by the age of 12. By age 18, he had already arranged and produced two albums with an original band, as well as created sound designs for numerous theatre productions.

Hirsh obtained his Bachelor of Arts in both Music and Physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied piano and composition with Stephen Anderson, Ed Paolantonio, and Thomas Otten. He became an active student leader in the jazz program and is a three-time winner of the ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composers Award for pieces he wrote during his undergraduate tenure. As a founding member of Charanga Carolina, a Cuban danzón ensemble directed by UNC professor and ethnomusicologist David Garcia, Hirsh discovered a forum through which he could deepen his knowledge and share his passion for Afro-Cuban music. Hirsh also spent 18 months in collaboration with director/choreographer Dana Dobreva, working on an original musical entitled Puppets and Shadows. Together they produced a workshop of the show through the UNC Department of Dramatic Art's Advanced Showcase, bringing together students of many disciplines. Just prior to completing his studies at UNC, Hirsh received his first professional commission to write a jazz setting of the Mass for the Newman Catholic Student Center, where the work is still being performed.

Hirsh has now established himself as an exciting performer, composer, and technologist in Durham, NC. He is the co-director, arranger, and pianist for Orquesta GarDel, a 13-piece all-star salsa band whose performances and unique sound have garnered cover-story attention from the Independent Weekly. He is also the keyboardist for The Beast, a jazz/hip hop collective fronted by emcee/spoken word artist Pierce Freelon. The Beast's debut album, "Belly," features Eric's vocal and horn arrangements for YahZarah, Nnenna Freelon, the Seed and Harvest Gospel Choir, and others. Core members of The Beast also play in Hirsh's latest project, a jazz ensemble which acts as a platform for his original compositions. When he is not focusing on these dynamic endeavors, Hirsh is a fiery pianist on the local jazz scene, playing restaurants and night clubs with the likes of John Brown and Brevan Hampden among others.

Hirsh has also found a way to professionally pursue his long-standing interest in music technology. He is an employee of Zenph Studios, a software company that specializes in algorithms for understanding and re-creating precisely how musicians perform. The highly acclaimed work of this team of software engineers, researchers, and professional musicians has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Stereophile, and Jazz Times. At Zenph, Hirsh is spearheading research initiatives in virtual instrument development and score engraving. Hirsh also brought Zenph's technology to the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem in June 2008 as the Supervising Producer and Sound Designer for the premiere of an original one-man show, Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here.

To Eric Hirsh, being a musician is about a never-ending journey of artistic development and exploration. His determination to challenge himself and undertake each endeavor with enthusiasm, commitment, and purpose continue to lead him into exciting new territories.