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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, and, 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 from the Newman Catholic Student Center to write a jazz setting of the Mass. His piece is still in rotation at the church. 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 newly formed jazz/hip hop collective fronted by emcee/spoken word artist Pierce Freelon (son of Grammy-nominated Concord Jazz artist Nnenna Freelon). Co-producing The Beast’s freshman album has given Hirsh a chance to hone his arranging chops for horn sections, gospel choirs, and R&B vocalist YahZarah. The Beast’s core band members also comprise the ESP Trio, a group he often uses to work out his original jazz compositions. When he is not focusing on these dynamic projects, 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 how musicians perform. The highly acclaimed
work of the company’s team of software engineers, researchers,
and professional musicians has been featured in the New York Times,
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Stereophile, and Jazz Times. Hirsh
has assumed a number of leadership roles within the company, spearheading
research initiatives in virtual instrument development and solo jazz
piano engraving, and bringing Zenph’s technology to the stage
of the World Famous Apollo Theater in Harlem in June 2008 as the Supervising
Producer and Sound Designer for the premiere of the original, one-man
show, Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here. |
To
Eric Hirsh, music is about expressing the sounds of the world, with
all its daily rhythms, joys, and sorrows. It is both a catalyst and
a means for communication and communion, for dancing, for shaking people
out of their comfort zone. Hirsh is at home in an impressive array of
roles and genres, but his art, whether as an improvised salsa solo or
a classical song cycle, is characterized by both a soaring energy and
a touching sense of reflection. 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.