Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lucas Sanchez enjoys a multi-faceted career as a timpanist, percussionist, and teacher. In 2019, Mr. Sanchez was appointed as principal timpanist of the Palm Beach Symphony by Gerard Schwarz.  Lucas also plays timpani with the Florida Grand Opera, the Nu Deco Ensemble, and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra; in the past he has appeared with the Houston Symphony and the Amarillo Symphony.

Mr. Sanchez is as comfortable in front of the orchestra as he is behind it; he has appeared as a soloist with the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Frost Symphony Orchestra, Shepherd Percussion Ensemble, and the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. In 2018, Lucas was awarded first place in the Frost Concerto Competition with Johann Carl Christian Fischer s Symphony with 8 Obbligato Timpani.

As an educator, Mr. Sanchez maintains a private percussion studio in Coral Gables, Florida.  He is an instructor for Greater Miami Youth Symphony program and gives masterclasses at high schools and colleges in South Florida.  Lucas enjoys teaching the modern marching arts, since playing timpani with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014.

After studying with Douglas Cardwell in Albuquerque for seven years, Lucas received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Rice University under the tutelage of Richard Brown and Matthew Strauss, where he was awarded the 2016 Sallie Shepherd Prize for Best Achievement in Music.

Mr. Sanchez is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and the Texas Music Festival, and was awarded full-tuition fellowships at both for 3 summers each.  He is currently finishing his dissertation for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami, studying with Matthew Strauss and Svetoslav Stoyanov.