Eric Rodriguez was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area. His fascination with music began very early in his life when he joined the Houston Boys Choir in 2003 and stayed until 2005. During his time with the organization, he traveled to Germany with the boy’s choir to follow the long history of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Like most beginners, Eric picked up the trumpet in the 6th grade. He thrived throughout high school and earned several Gold and Silver medals in the regional and state-level Solo and Ensemble competitions in Texas.

Eric received his Bachelor’s in Music Performance from McNeese State University in 2015, studying with famed teacher, Dave Scott. At McNeese, he was a member of the McNeese Jazz Ensemble, McNeese Wind Symphony, and The Pride of McNeese Cowboy Marching Band, serving as Drum Major in 2013. Eric performed with the 2014 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps production “Immortal”, as one of the lead trumpet players. From 2012 to 2015, he served as a teaching fellow for the Francis G. Bulber Youth Orchestra.

From 2015 to 2017, Eric completed his Master’s in Music at Stephen F. Austin State University with Dr. Gary Wurtz, who currently serves as the Dean of Fine Arts. It was here that Eric’s musical successes would take form. He participated in the SFASU Wind Ensemble, Swingin’ Axes Jazz Ensemble, and Orchestra of the Pines. In addition, he was accepted to the Semi-Final round of the National Trumpet Competition Graduate Division in 2017 for the first time where he performed Johann Baptist Georg Neruda’s Concerto in E-Flat. Eric, along with Dan Casso, Adiel Nájera, and RJ Abrarpour also competed in the Small Ensemble Division with the performance of William Schmidt’s Variants with Cadenza’s for 4 Trumpets.

Eric was invited to teach music to the participants of the Guardians Drum in Bugle Corps after the completion of his Master’s Degree in 2017.

In the summer of 2017, he was accepted into Ball State University to study with Dr. Stephen Campbell. Eric would achieve new heights in his career with notable accolades, including:

• The Muncie Symphony (now Orchestra Indiana)

• Recording Sutton Foster’s ‘Take Me to the World’ album with the Ball State Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

• An appearance the College Orchestra Directors Association in Boston, Massachusetts in 2019.

• The International Trombone Festival in 2019

• A performance tour of Costa Rica with the Ball State Jazz Ensemble in 2019.

• A performance at Dizzy’s Club in New York City in 2022.

• The College Band Directors National Association Conference in Athens, Georgia in 2023.

• Multiple appearances in the National Trumpet Competition from 2019 to 2021.

  He received recognition for his achievements with a performance of Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in the annual School of Music Showcase Concert in 2019.

As of today, Eric resides in Indianapolis finishing his Doctorate of Arts degree from Ball State University. Eric serves on the faculty of Indiana State University where he aids with the Sycamore Marching Band and performs with the ISU Faculty Brass Quintet. In addition, Eric also serves as the trumpet instructor for the newly founded Mozart in the Knobs Music Festival where he teaches aspiring collegiate students to perform in an orchestra.

He currently serves as Principal Trumpet for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and Section Trumpet for Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. Eric has also performed with Carmel Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Lima Symphony, and Orchestra Indiana.

Eric has performed for several artists, such as Wynton Marsalis, Madame Marie Speziale, Bria Skonberg, Ingrid Jensen, Matthew Ernst, Canadian Brass, Boston Brass, and Doug Lindsay.