A Southern California native, Eduardo Meneses is thrilled to join the San Diego Symphony’s percussion section for the 2024-25 season.
Since 2008, he has served as Principal Percussionist with the Santa Barbara Symphony, adding the role of Acting Principal Timpani in 2022. His career has taken him from the concert hall to the big top- from symphonies to Cirque du Soleil, where he performed in IRIS from 2011-2013.
As an in-demand musician in Los Angeles, Eduardo has shared the stage with legends like John Williams, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Andrea Bocelli, and many others. Since 2016, he has been a regular guest with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, touring with the orchestra internationally on several occasions. His playing can be heard on Grammy-winning albums and major motion picture soundtracks.
At one point, he studied improv and sketch comedy at The Second City Hollywood, which led to a stint performing with the sketch team Penningsworth. It was a deeply creative and fulfilling time that also confirmed that orchestral percussion is, shockingly, the more stable career path. Eduardo holds a bachelor’s degree from USC and a master’s from Carnegie Mellon University, both in music performance.
