Lauri Metsvahi

LAURI METSVAHI percussion
With ERSO since 2019

Lauri Metsvahi started music studies in 1996 at Tallinn Music High School. He graduated in 2008 and had already by then established himself as a sought-after freelancer in Estonia with regular guest-appearances at the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Opera, Nordic Symphony Orchestra and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra among many others. Simultaneously he played the drumset in three bands and went to two schools – G.Ots Music School (pop-jazz) and the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy (classical).

In 2011 Lauri moved to Sweden to study at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH). He graduated masters in orchestral percussion in 2015 and soloist diploma in 2018. Meanwhile, in 2016, he won the position to become a percussionist at the Swedish Wind Ensemble (SWE). A year later Lauri took up the position as the principal percussionist at this orchestra. During his time in Sweden Lauri regularly played in distinguished orchestras such as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonics, The Swedish Radio Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Västerås Sinfonietta and many others. In 2019 SWE commissioned a piece from B.Staern for percussion solo and wind band with Lauri as the soloist. They performed this piece in Stockholm, Umeå and Tallinn.

Lauri was the first Estonian percussionist to tour with the EUYO (2012-2014). In 2020 he won in two categories at the Estonian Music Awards together with the rock group Põhja Konn – Ensemble of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. Lauri is a founding member of the Estonian Percussion Group.