Percussion Masterclasses at the Liszt Academy of Music by Rui Sul Gomes & Johan Bridger

Rui Sul Gomes will give percussion masterclasses from 2–4 March 2026, followed by Johan Bridger from 5–7 March 2026, in Room XLIII of the main building of the Liszt Academy of Music.

Masterclass Schedule

Rui Sul Gomes

March 2: 15:00–18:00

March 3: 10:00–13:00; 15:00–18:00

March 4: 10:00–13:00

Johan Bridger (tentative schedule)

March 5: 15:00–18:00

March 6: 10:00–13:00; 15:00–18:00

March 7: 10:00–13:00

External participants may apply only for the following time slots:

Rui Sul Gomes: 3 March, 10:00–13:00; 15:00–18:00

Johan Bridger: 6 March, 10:00–13:00; 15:00–18:00

Online registration is required only for external participants.

Application deadline 26th February 2026 12:00 PM

Rui Sul Gomes

Rui Sul Gomes is the Principal Timpanist of the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Born in Porto, he studied in Lisbon at the Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa and the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra as a student of Girão Ferreira, and later studied privately with Nick Woud.

He regularly performs at Portugal’s most important festivals and venues, including the Coliseu do Porto and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. As a soloist, he has appeared with several Portuguese orchestras and was the first to perform in Portugal Philip Glass’s Concerto Fantasia for two timpani and orchestra.

Internationally, he has performed across Europe, as well as in the United States, Thailand, and Macau. He currently teaches at music academies in both Porto and Lisbon.

Johan Bridger

Johan Bridger studied at the Malmö Academy of Music, and completed his Master’s degree in Chicago at Northwestern University as a student of Michael Burritt. In 2004, he made his debut as a soloist of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and in the same year won the Swedish Soloist Prize for his outstanding technical mastery and stage presence.

Also in 2004, he won first prize at the Belgian International Marimba Duo Competition with the percussion duo MalleusIncus. Since then, he has become one of the most sought-after percussion soloists in the Nordic region. His performance venues include the Mariinsky Theatre, the National Concert Hall in Taipei, the Venice Biennale, and Carnegie Hall.

Since 2001, Johan has been teaching at Sundsgårdens Folkhögskola. From the 2010s onward, he has also taught at the Danish National Academy of Music and the Malmö Academy of Music, where he became Head of the Percussion Department in 2023.

Between 2020 and 2024, he served as a doctoral supervisor at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He regularly gives masterclasses throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

External applicants are asked to select the “non-degree” option under the “Course” section.