Dr. Sebastian Buhts
Sebastian Buhts is an active solo, chamber, and orchestral percussionist based in St. Louis, MO. His recent solo engagements have occurred in Montréal, Canada, as well as at festivals throughout the U.S., including the Percussive Arts Society Michigan Day of Percussion. Dr. Buhts has performed solo marimba in Scottish Borders, Scotland, and as a chamber and orchestral percussionist across Europe. His passion for chamber music brought him to Italy as a Fellow for the 2018 Cortona New Music Sessions, where he collaborated with composers to premiere three works for pierrot ensemble. He also performed in the world premiere of David Biedenbender’s percussion quartet, Ferrum, at the 2017 Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
Dr. Buhts is head of the percussion department at Lindenwood University where he teaches applied percussion, percussion ensemble, drumline, and percussion methods. He has previously taught at Michigan State University, Belmont University, and has appeared as a guest artist at several universities throughout North America. Dr. Buhts’s dissertation is titled, “Deconstructing the Tabla Solo: A Visual Analysis Using the MacDonald/Mativetsky Notation System.” His research focuses on spreading awareness of North Indian tabla drumming, the Benares gharana, and oral tradition. In addition, his dissertation provides a written analysis of a traditional tabla solo’s structural and compositional form. As part of this research, Dr. Buhts spent six months in Varanasi, India, where he studied tabla with Pandit Kishor Kumar Mishra.
Dr. Buhts’s doctorate in percussion performance is from Michigan State University. His master’s and bachelor’s degrees in percussion performance are from Belmont University, where he also completed a bachelor’s degree in German. Additionally, Dr. Buhts studied orchestral percussion at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, Germany, and at the Aspen Music Festival and School.