TEACHING
Timur Yakubov’s teaching grows directly out of his work as a performing violist, particularly through his experience as a principal player and chamber musician. In both contexts, questions of sound production, timing, articulation, and structural clarity arise under real performance conditions, and these same parameters form the foundation of his work with students.
At the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, he teaches viola, orchestral repertoire, and chamber music, working with bachelor’s and master’s students preparing for professional careers. His teaching remains closely connected to the realities of the field, including orchestral auditions, ensemble playing, and the ability to function within different musical hierarchies. Earlier, at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, his pedagogical work developed alongside intensive chamber music practice, particularly in the context of string quartet playing, which continues to inform his approach to ensemble training.
His work often begins with the physical conditions of sound production, focusing on the relationship between bow speed, weight, and contact point. From this, questions of projection, articulation, and blending are addressed through clear and repeatable principles. Intonation is approached as a function of hand organization and harmonic awareness, aiming for stability through structure rather than reactive adjustment. Technical challenges are frequently reduced to simple, controlled elements and rebuilt through rhythmic clarity and coordination.
Stylistic questions are treated as inseparable from physical playing. Drawing on experience with both modern and historically informed performance, he connects articulation, bow distribution, vibrato, and timing directly to the demands of different repertoire. A significant part of his teaching is devoted to orchestral excerpts and audition preparation, including defining character and hierarchy within excerpts, controlling tempo and pulse under pressure, and developing consistency across repetitions. Particular attention is given to listening and reaction within a section—an essential aspect of orchestral playing that is often underdeveloped in individual practice.