Maarja Nuut

Principal Timpani

Principal Timpanist and Percussion section leader of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) since 2022

Maarja Nuut began her musical education at the Tallinn Music High School, initially studying piano before graduating in percussion under Kristjan Mäeots. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, studying with Rein Roos, and continued her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. She later completed her Master’s degree at the Grieg Academy of the University of Bergen, where her teachers included Håkon Kartveit, Peter Kates, and Manuel Hofstätter.
In addition to her academic training, Nuut has refined her skills through private studies with Mikael Nilsson, solo timpanist of the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra, and participated in masterclasses led by Nick Woud of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

From 2013 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2019, she worked in the Estonian National Opera Orchestra’s percussion section. She also appears as a guest musician with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra.

Prior to her current appointment, Nuut collaborated with ERSO as a percussionist and has performed with several Scandinavian orchestras, including the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.