Sheet music by Damien Sagrillo

First musical education at the conservatory of the City of Luxembourg in conducting, bassoon, tuba, music theory, chamber music; Künstlerische Reifeprüfung at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Rheinland Köln in 1985, Magister artium (MA) in musicology, educational sciences and German language and literature at the University of Cologne in 1989. Sagrillo earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology with a dissertation based on folksong research at the Freie Universität Berlin in 1997.

His performing career began during his years of study in 1981. In 1985 he became a teacher at the Conservatoire du Nord in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg. From 1990-94 he collaborated with Prof. Helmut Schaffrath at the University of Essen, Germany, and the folksong data project ESAC (Essen Associative Code).

In 2003 he was appointed associate professor at the newly-founded University of Luxembourg, after having taught music education at the Institut d’Etudes Educatives et Sociales in Luxembourg since 1996. In 2005 he was authorized to direct research projects.

His publications include scholarly texts, musical arrangements and audio records. His research interests include a wide area of topics, such as folksong, wind music (since 2016 president of the International Society for the Promotion and Research of Wind Music, IGEB), music education and especially the sociology and history of music in Luxembourg. He is a member of various international scholarly organizations.

During winter semester 2012/13 Sagrillo is invited as guest professor for music education at the University of Würzburg/Germany. Apart from his work as a scholar, Sagrillo is also active as a musician, conductor and arranger, giving regular concerts in Luxembourg and abroad. In 2016 Damien Sagrillo was awarded prof. h.c. at Kecskemét College of Education and in 2017 invited for advisor at the Hungarian Academy of Science (MTA).