Ramón Wodkowski

Ramón Wodkowski is an internationally acclaimed mouthpiece specialist, and his clients include many of the world’s leading soloists, orchestral musicians and teachers.

Ramon began to explore clarinet mouthpiece design whilst a Masters student at the Yale University School of Music, and studied mouthpiece crafting with James Kanter and Everett Matson.

A professional clarinet player himself, Ramon understands what players need from a mouthpiece, and his in-depth knowledge and experience of both the American and European clarinet traditions gives him the versatility to customize each mouthpiece to suit its owner’s individual playing style.

A leading authority on mouthpiece history, acoustics and design, Ramon has been invited to present lectures at institutions including Yale University, University of Southern California, Rice University, Manhattan School of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Northwestern University, Michigan State University and New York University.

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Ramon enjoys a busy performing schedule as a professional clarinettist. He has performed with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and as guest principal of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, English National Ballet and City of London Sinfonia. He has worked under conductors including Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Daniel Harding, Oliver Knussen, Heinz Holliger and Semyon Bychkov, at venues including the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), the Salzburg Mozarteum, Barbican Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Having graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Ramon earned a bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Master’s degree from the Yale University School of Music.  He went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London, where he gained an Artist Diploma, won the prestigious Frederick Thurston prize, and was subsequently awarded the 2005-6 David Bowerman Junior Fellowship.

Ramon’s principal teachers have been Richard Hosford, Franklin Cohen, David Shifrin, Richard Hawkins and Theodore Oien.