Claudio Estay is considered one of the most versatile percussionists of his generation. Born in Santiago de Chile, he grew up influenced by the popular music of the continent. At the age of twelve, he began studying classical percussion at the Conservatorio de la Universidad de Chile, then immersed himself in the study of traditional instruments, thus also developing his classical repertoire. His love of percussion instruments and his desire to learn took him to various countries: After an intensive exchange in Brazil, where he explored the samba tradition in the schools of Rio de Janeiro, he continued his classical studies in Munich – with inspiring mentors such as Peter Sadlo, Franz Bach, and Raymond Curfs – and immersed himself in chamber music, classical orchestral interpretation, and solo repertoire.
Since 2012, he has been principal percussionist with the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra in Munich, one of Europe’s most traditional opera houses, where he works with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Vladimir Jurowski, Zubin Mehta, and Kent Nagano. Between 2010 and 2020, he was a lecturer in the percussion department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Since then, Claudio Estay has devoted himself to the study and research of rhythmic phenomena and has developed new definitions aimed at various instrumentalists. As a visiting professor, he has given master classes at renowned institutions worldwide, including the Conservatoire Supérieur de musique in Paris, in Santiago de Chile, at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, in Spain, Argentina, and at Maastricht University. The courses and workshops cover academic interpretation of audition preparation, new rhythmic definitions for different instrumentalists, the acoustic and historical footprint of percussion instruments, and an introduction to Afro-Brazilian percussion.
Claudio Estay also collaborates with contemporary composers such as Oriol Cruixent, Konstantia Gourzi, Walter Haupt, and Minas Borboudakis, presenting works as a soloist or with his ensemble OPERcussion—the percussionists of the Bavarian State Opera—in world premieres. He is an endorser and artist for Adams, Black Swamp, Meinl, Zultan, Kolberg, and Thomann.
