EPISODE 78 - Eric Dupont

Eric Dupont was born and raised in New Hampshire, receiving his first drum set at the age of 12. Beginning to seriously hone his craft in high school, he earned titles as the NHMEA Jazz All-State drummer and recipient of the Woody Herman Jazz Award. His work as his school’s Drumline captain, jazz band drummer, and wind symphonic band percussionist led him to performances as far as New York, Florida, Canada, Germany, and Austria.

Eric initially studied European classical percussion with Jeff Fischer at the University of Massachusetts in 2012, while studying drum set privately with Boston legend Fred Buda. In 2013, Eric transferred to the jazz program at William Paterson University on music scholarship – he graduated magna cum laude in 2016 as the Outstanding Musician Award recipient, with a major in Jazz Studies and Music Management. With the school’s close proximity to New York City, Eric has been fortunate enough to study under the tutelage of such drum heavyweights as Billy Hart, Winard Harper, Horacee Arnold and Bill Goodwin.

Eric draws inspiration from his drum heroes, which include Max Roach, Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Philly Joe Jones, and Art Blakey. He has received scholarships and grants from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and the Music Business Association. Eric was also selected as one of 15 fellows of the 2018 Program for Jazz at Ravinia's Steans Music Institute in Highland Park, IL.