ABOUT & Credits

Ernesto Aguirre is a drummer, percussionist, and composer whose work fuses storytelling, rhythm, and cultural depth into a distinctive musical voice. A first-generation Mexican-American and graduate of the University of North Texas College of Music, Ernesto draws on his heritage and lifelong connection to percussion to create emotionally resonant music for both the screen and stage.

Beginning his musical journey at just two years old behind a drum kit, Ernesto has since expanded his expertise to encompass marching percussion, Latin, Brazilian, West African, and South Indian traditions, jazz drumming, and orchestral percussion. This rhythmic foundation shapes his work as both an orchestrator for film and television and as an educator, helping composers and musicians worldwide refine their craft through online resources and his YouTube channel.

As a performer, Ernesto has toured nationally with Drum Corps International as lead vibraphonist for the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, performed across Eastern Europe with the YOSA Philharmonic Orchestra as timpanist, and appeared with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra at the world-class Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

Ernesto is the founder of Twin Drummer Publishing, a music publishing company dedicated to original works and educational commissions. He receives several commissions each year, and his music is performed by school ensembles across the United States as well as by musicians and groups around the world. His catalog includes works for orchestra, concert band, percussion ensemble, and chamber settings, written with a focus on musicality, accessibility, and educational value.

His formal studies include percussion with Mark Ford, Paul Rennick, Sandi Rennick, and Christopher Deane, and jazz drumset with Steve Barnes. He broadened his musical language through world traditions, studying Latin and Brazilian percussion with José Aponte, West African drumming with Gideon Alorwoyie, and South Indian music and rhythm with Poovalur Sriji, and further expanded his compositional voice through jazz arranging with Grammy-nominated composer Richard DeRosa.

Ernesto continues to hone his craft through mentorships with acclaimed industry figures including multi-Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated composer Bruce Broughton; legendary Hollywood orchestrator Tim Simonec (Up, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Rogue One, Spider-Man: Homecoming); film and television composer Trevor Morris (Vikings, The Tudors, Olympus Has Fallen); renowned concert band composer Carol Britten Chambers; and Emmy-nominated composer Amanda Jones (Home, MurderBot, Adventure Time).

Ernesto is a proud member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the Composers Diversity Collective (CDC), and the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL).