Vambola Krigul’s musical journey began at the Nõmme Music School, where he studied flute, clarinet, and saxophone. Although he initially started playing percussion as a self-taught musician, he graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 1999 specifically in percussion studies. He subsequently pursued his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Krigul has been involved in the world premieres of over 200 works by both Estonian and international composers. He enjoys being an active participant in the creative process, frequently suggesting solutions and sounds to composers that often originate from unconventional sources. Among Estonian composers, he has collaborated closely with Helena Tulve, Tõnu Kõrvits, Märt-Matis Lill, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Toivo Tulev, among others, performing the premieres of many of their works.
In 2003, Vambola Krigul became a founding member of Ensemble U:, which currently stands as the longest-active contemporary music collective in Estonia. Since 2000, Krigul has been a member of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), and since 2011, he has served as a lecturer in percussion and chamber music at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.