“Learning to play a musical instrument is really about learning about yourself,” says Flavio Salvaje, his voice as fluid and composed as the notes he draws from his handpan. “It’s a spiritual journey — one that gently peels back the layers of long-held limitations. Like that teacher who once told you you’d never amount to much — why do you still believe that? Why not unlearn it, and instead learn to make something beautiful?”
Today, Flavio’s hands dance effortlessly across the shimmering surface of the handpan, coaxing out haunting, melodic rhythms. But not long ago, those same hands were calloused from over a decade spent in the family construction business in Bern.
“I’ve shed my skin a few times,” he says with a quiet smile. “And each time, I’ve moved further from who I used to be. When school ended, I had no idea what I was meant to do. My parents steered me into construction — fourteen long, sad years building for others, while feeling like I wasn’t building anything of my own.”
Music became his escape. First, through the world of electronic production and DJ-ing, where he began to uncover a new sense of expression. “I’d finally found a language that made sense to me — music,” he reflects. “But even then, something deeper was calling.”
That calling led him to the handpan. “All my life, I had this quiet hunch,” he says. “Like the instrument and I were destined to meet. And when we finally did, everything changed.”
Performing at festivals across Europe eventually brought Flavio to Ibiza — a place he now calls home. “I always dreamt of a barefoot life in nature, surrounded by people seeking the same thing — balance, creativity, and a more conscious way of living. Ibiza gave my music a voice.”
Under the guidance Ishka Michocka as coach and manager, Flavio recorded his breathtaking debut album Prayers with the legendary record producer Henry Sarmiento at Sonic Vista Studios.
“How would I describe my music? I’ve dedicated seven years to this instrument —not just playing, but pushing its boundaries. Now I’m ready to show what the handpan can become. Not just an instrument of meditation, but a full voice in contemporary music”.
