Sebastian Araya Luengo

Dr. Sebastian Araya is a percussionist and educator specializing in both classical and world percussion. He has taught students from diverse backgrounds and countries, greatly enjoying the challenge of curating individual lesson plans and curricula tailored to each student’s needs.

Dr. Araya earned his Master’s degree at Cleveland State University under Tom Freer and his Doctorate at the University of Georgia under Timothy Adams Jr. and Kimberly Toscano Adams. He has taught in both Chile and the United States, working with students at various levels of percussion education. Currently, he is a faculty member at Georgia College & State University in Georgia and Anderson University in South Carolina, where he teaches applied percussion lessons, percussion ensemble, world drumming, and percussion methods. In addition, he teaches at the Community Music School at the University of Georgia, where he works with students of various ages and skill levels.

At the University of Georgia, he served as a Teaching Assistant for World Drumming and Percussion Methods for Music Therapists, where he was responsible for leading instruction and working with over 100 students per semester for four years.

As a performer, Dr. Araya has played with the Symphonic Orchestra of Chile and Philharmonic Orchestra of Chile. In the United States, he has performed with the Cleveland Winds Ensemble, the Suburban Orchestra, the Augusta Symphony, and the Cleveland Philharmonic, as well as
folk and Latin South American music with the band Chakaimanta in Cleveland, Ohio. His international performances include appearances in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Peru, and Brazil, including the Campos do Jordão and Jaraguá do Sul festivals