“Art, in any form, relies on individual expression. Our playing, and the sound we make, should be as individual as our smile.”
Reginald Kell
RamÓn Wodkowski
Clarinet Mouthpiece Maker
Ramón Wodkowski is the leading clarinet mouthpiece maker of his generation, having garnered international acclaim from many of the world’s premier soloists, orchestral musicians, and teachers.
Ramón has made an extensive, twenty-year study into the science and art of mouthpiece craftsmanship. He is fortunate to have had many of the world’s major professional players as clients in the early years of his training, and travelled extensively over the past decade to work with them. This experience led him to begin designing his own models. In 2015 he released his first line of mouthpieces, and his business since has shifted from refacing and restoration into primarily his own, Wodkowski Mouthpieces.
Now, Ramón is developing a new catalogue designed with the aid of modern technology – CT scanning, CNC machining, combined with hand finishing. These, starting with his close facing models, are his finest offerings to date, and his best sellers.
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BACKGROUND
A native of Michigan, Ramón graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy before earning his bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and master’s degree from the Yale University School of Music. In 2004 he moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music (RCM), where he earned the Artist Diploma, won the prestigious Frederick Thurston Prize, and was subsequently awarded the 2005-2006 David Bowerman Junior Fellowship at the RCM.
While at the RCM, Ramón began freelance work with the major London orchestras, and cultivated a diverse playing career over the next 15 years – symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, recording sessions, and West End shows. He was one of the very few American clarinetists to have broken through into the London orchestral scene, and remained very active until his return to the USA in 2019.
Ramón has performed with ensembles including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Irish Chamber Orchestra, English National Ballet and City of London Sinfonia – with conductors including Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Daniel Harding, Oliver Knussen, Heinz Holliger and Semyon Bychkov – at venues including the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), Salzburg Mozarteum, Barbican Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Ramón’s principal teachers have been Richard Hosford, David Shifrin, Franklin Cohen, Richard Hawkins and Ted Oien.
Ramón’s Blog
News and updates about current projects and new products.
New Models
I am happy to now offer my newest creations for sale. This series has taken more than a year of research and development to arrive at a product that satisfies me. I decided over a year ago to venture into the world of CNC machining for my mouthpieces - computer controlled designs, machining...