Claudio Estay

Regarded as one of the most versatile percussionists of his generation, Claudio Estay was born in Santiago de Chile, where he grew up surrounded by the popular music of the continent. At the age of twelve he began classical percussion studies at the Conservatory of the University of Chile and, after immersing himself in traditional instruments and the samba tradition of the escolas of Rio de Janeiro, he moved in 1999 to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, where he studied with Peter Sadlo, Franz Bach and Raymond Curfs.

Since 2012 he has been principal percussionist of the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra in Munich, and between 2010 and 2020 he taught in the percussion department of that city's University of Music. He has given masterclasses at institutions across Europe and America, and his versatility —from the classical to the popular— is what gives meaning to projects such as Classica Nova by Oriol Cruixent.