Eliseo Rael

Eliseo Rael is an Emmy-winning percussionist who has forged a dynamic career of creative collaboration as a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. He is a member of the Pana Percussion Quartet whose performance of the piece "Spiral" earned two Emmys at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Award Ceremony in 2023.

As the percussionist of the new music ensemble, IonSound Project, Eliseo performed in such music series as “The Phoenix Concerts” in New York, “Music in a Great Space”, and “Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch” in Pittsburgh.  He has had the opportunity to work closely with composers such as Joan Tower, Jennifer Higdon, David Stock, Michael Gandolfi, and many others.

In addition to his work as a chamber musician, Eliseo has also performed with many orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, and the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland; performing under conductors James Levine, Kurt Massur, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Manfred Honeck. He has performed as a soloist with the Wheeling Symphony's WSO on the Go series.

Eliseo is currently the area coordinator of the Percussion Department and Percussion Ensemble Director at Duquesne University. He is on faculty for the Pana Percussion Institute summer music program and has been invited as a clinician at the French Woods music camp. Students he has taught play in orchestras all over the country and have won numerous competitions including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Modern Snare Drum Competition, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania All-state, and have been accepted to some of the country’s top music schools such as New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and the Cleveland Institute of Music, among others.

• A.D., Duquesne University
• M.M., New England Conservatory
• B.M., University of North Texas

• Solo Marimba
• Contemporary Percussion/New Music
• Orchestral Percussion
• Percussion Arrangements and Transcriptions