Raymond Curfs, who was born in the Netherlands, studied percussion and timpani in Maastricht, Cologne, and Berlin with Werner Otten, Georg Breier, and Rainer Seegers. He began his career in the North Netherlands Orchestra and also played for the Stadttheater Bielefeld and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra before becoming a member of the Bavarian Staatsorchester Munich in 1999; the following year he was also made part of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, where he continued until 2006. Since 2007 he has been principal timpanist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Curfs, who has been playing in the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA since it began in 2003, has taught at the Paris Conservatoire, the Maastricht Academy of Music, and, since 2013, at the Munich Academy of Music. As a chamber musician he partners with such peers as Natalia Gutman, Katia and Marielle Labèque, and Peter Sadlo; he also regularly gives solo recitals.

August 2015