Erik Abernathy is a Nashville-based guitarist and bassist whose style blends Brazilian music, Hot Club jazz, classical guitar, bebop, folk, blues, and rock. Originally from Gainesville, FL, Erik has studied and performed with renowned artists including Lulu Reinhardt, Ulisses Rocha, Yamandu Costa, Diego Figueiredo, and Sergio Assad.

As half of the duo Giselle and Erik, he recently completed a five-month residency aboard the Disney Dream, performing for the Walt Disney Company. He was a jazz finalist in the 2020 Wilson Center Guitar Festival and is a two-time DownBeat Student Music Award winner for vocal arranging and Latin group performance.

Erik holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. His senior project—a custom analog-to-MIDI converter for electric guitar—reflects his unique blend of musical and technical expertise. He has taught jazz theory, improvisation, and music production, and contributed as a composer, arranger, and performer with the UF Jazz Big Band. In 2023, Erik launched his own online guitar course to share his diverse musical approach with a broader audience.