Aaron Smith, Percussionist
Aaron Smith was appointed Principal Percussionist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra beginning in the Fall of 2022. Formerly, he was the Principal Percussionist with the Boise Philharmonic and was a Section Percussionist with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. He has also appeared with the Houston Symphony, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, and the New Orleans Chamber Orchestra.
Outside of orchestral performance, Mr. Smith has had innumerable experiences in smaller ensembles such as percussion ensemble, brass choir, Brazilian samba battery, Afro-Cuban folkloric ensemble, and various other chamber ensembles. These experiences have even given him the opportunity to premiere new works, such as David Jones’s Po-Um (Lyric) for Solo Marimba (commissioned by the Moody Center for the Arts), Kevin Bobo’s Domestic Birds, and Brian Blume’s Under the INfluence (the latter two of these works were premiered at Indiana University’s Percussion Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention). In 2024, he appeared as a soloist with the New Orleans Chamber Orchestra in the premiere of Jerry Sieg’s Sinfonia XVII for Solo Timpani and String Orchestra.
Not limited to only performing, Mr. Smith is an active and passionate educator. He has been teaching privately since he was in high school, and has held positions in multiple schools around Indiana and Texas. Currently, he is the Percussion Instructor at the University of New Orleans and assists underserved band programs in New Orleans through the Louisiana Philharmonic’s LPO Academy program.
Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he primarily studied with John Tafoya and Kevin Bobo. While at IU, he was also awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate for an exemplary senior recital. He received his Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he studied with Matthew Strauss.
Mr. Smith performs at CCCMF 2025 on October 17
