Bio
Sebastian Buhts is a conductor, percussionist, and educator based in St. Louis, MO. He conducts the Meramec Orchestra at St. Louis Community College, performs as Principal Timpanist with Union Avenue Opera, and teaches percussion and North Indian tabla drumming at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to these appointments, he served as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Lindenwood University where he conducted Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Athletic Bands, and Percussion Ensemble.
Praised for his “astonishing virtuosity” by Broadway World, Sebastian maintains an active and diverse performance schedule. Highlights include conducting “Meet Me In St. Louis” for the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team, conducting as a clinician for the orchestra, wind ensemble, and percussion studio at the National Taiwan University of Arts in Taipei, and guest conducting the St. Charles County Symphony Orchestra. As a freelance percussionist, Sebastian has appeared with orchestras such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis.
Sebastian holds a special interest and passion for North Indian tabla drumming. In addition to lecturing on tabla at Washington University in St. Louis, Sebastian teaches tabla at the annual summer Strike Institute and has presented clinics at the Percussive Arts Society Michigan Day of Percussion as well as at numerous universities across North America. In 2022, Sebastian was the featured tabla soloist for the St. Louis Literary Award ceremony, honoring Booker Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author Arundhati Roy.
An avid proponent of solo and chamber music, Sebastian has performed solo marimba recitals for the Orchestra of Northern New York Summer Chamber Music Series as well as world premieres at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Cortona New Music Sessions in Cortona, Italy, and with chamber ensembles throughout the U.S. and Germany.
Sebastian received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University, where he studied percussion with Gwendolyn Dease and Jon Weber. His Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees are from Belmont University, where he studied with Christopher Norton. Additionally, Sebastian studied orchestral percussion and timpani at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, Germany, and at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He studied tabla intensively with Shawn Mativetsky and for six months in Varanasi, India with Pandit Kishor Kumar Mishra. He is a proud artist endorser for Marimba One and Black Swamp Percussion.
Sebastian lives in St. Louis with his wife Erin, son Everett, and dog Okra. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, and learning from other cultures.
