Rui Travasso
With a network of Artist Centres and Ateliers around the world, Yamaha works with leading players to support their performances and develop instrument designs and new ideas for the benefit of all musicians. Yamaha Artists share with us a passion for inspiring the next generation of players, and a belief that everybody should be encouraged to nurture their talent, connect with others and tell their stories through music.
Get to know Clarinet Player and Yamaha Artist Rui Travasso
How does your instrument help you in your everyday life as an artist?
As an orchestra musician, I need an instrument that enables me to tackle the weekly challenges of a program that goes from chamber music to symphonies. And when I play outside the orchestra, a lot of the time I want a different kind of sound with greater exploration of timbre and a freedom to interpret the music differently. This is what I always get from my Yamaha instrument. Its high quality is emphasized by the ease of its superior sound emission and by a design that facilitates the exploration of timbre I just mentioned.
How would you describe your instrument?
It is an instrument with lots of different features that emits sound effortlessly. The difficult thing for me is trying to use all the possibilities it offers.
When, how and why did you first come into contact with Yamaha?
It was in 2015, when I was awarded the first clarinet seat and I started looking for an instrument that produced the kind of music I wanted. I tried a number of instruments from various brands and, when I tried the CSG-III, I decided to buy it right away.
Which of your teachers has influenced you the most, and is there any advice or knowledge from them that you still pass on to others?
Walter Boeykens was the teacher who inspired me the most. He encouraged me to explore my own musical ideas every day, never imposing his own on me. He was the one who adapted by improving my ideas and completely rejecting the notion that students are vessels for the teacher's ideas, which is very widespread. Now that I am a teacher, I try to put this concept into practice in my own work because it helped me a great deal.
What is the best advice you could give a young musician?
We set our own limits and we have to choose our own path, both in music and in life. The best advice I can give is that, in music, everyone should find their own way without being too concerned about other peoples' opinions. Always fight for your ideas.
