Meagan Gillis

Originally from Churchton, Maryland, percussionist Meagan Gillis joined the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023. Prior to her appointment in New Orleans, she held principal timpani positions with the Spokane Symphony from 2017 to 2023 and the Maryland Symphony from 2015 to 2021. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in timpani performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Paul Yancich of The Cleveland Orchestra. Her orchestral work has also included performances with the Auckland Philharmonia, The Cleveland Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Fort Worth Symphony.

Beyond the concert hall, Gillis is an active and versatile xylophonist whose work spans ragtime, country, jug band, cabaret, and traditional jazz. Since 2014, she has been a member of Music Under New York and has also been part of Provincetown’s seasonal musician community. She has toured and recorded with the contemporary jug band Bones Jugs and has collaborated with artists and productions including Cole Escola, Hess Is More, and the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Tour. During the summer, she can often be heard in Provincetown performing with the country duo The Simple Sisters, appearing as a guest at Billy Hough’s Scream Along, or presenting solo ragtime sets. In New Orleans, she performs on trombone and xylophone with The Dirty Rotten Vipers and The New Orleans Rhythm Method in the French Quarter.