Violin Maker and Restorer

Through regular contact with musicians, Tibor draws inspiration to create individual instruments. Each personality requires a special companion; the challenge to find this harmony is his main motivation. Tibor's instruments received medals and distinctions at international competitions ( Salt Lake City VSA competition 1998; Cremona Triennial 2000;)

Members of orchestras including Age of Enlightenment, National Youth, Philharmonia, Covent Garden Opera, Halle and Budapest Festival, enjoy playing on his instruments, as do many members of chamber music ensembles.

Email: tibors@btinternet.com

I’m Darran Bramley UK Sales Manager for Gewa Music and will be showing Milo Stamm Bridges and Gewa instrument cases.

email: darranbramley@gmail.com

Website: gewastrings.com/en

Andreas is searching for spruce and maple in the forests of Bosnia, Tirol and Italy to find the best stems for the making of violins. He is very delighted that many international making competitions have been won with wood from his saw mill.

Makers from around the world come to the large wood store in Altomünster just 40 minutes from Munich airport

Email: info@alpentonholz.de

www.alpentonholz.de

Ram born in Sri Lanka and educated in the UK as an Aerospace Engineer , He gave up a promising career to pursue his lifelong passion for making stringed musical instruments.

Ram studied at Merton College under the guidance of Keith Graves, simultaneously he refined his expertise while apprenticing with the distinguished Luthier Malcolm Healey. Specialising in making violins and cellos inspired by the rich tonal qualities of classical Italian instruments.

Ram’s instruments are played by concert soloists and advanced students.

Email: ram.sathiakumar@gmail.com

Malcolm's early career was spent as a musician in the Granadier Guards band as a bass player. Then studied at the LCF where he was awarded the Hill prize in 1981. He then became one of the visiting lecturers with Merton Tech College.

His music shop in London later moved to Sutton, and now semiretired, working from Boxhill where he continues to enjoy a long career in bass making, restoration, and freelance bass playing.

Website: http://www.healeyviolins.co.uk/

Email: malcolm@healeyviolins.co.uk

D’Addario is the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instrument strings and accessories. A family-owned and operated business with roots dating back to the 17th century, we make bowed strings for all levels of players and playing styles.

Website: daddario.com/products/orchestral/

Instagram: @daddarioorchestral

Email: markus.lawrenson@daddario.com

Thank you to our volunteers for helping with Makers' Day!

Our volunteers include students and recent graduates from West Dean, Merton College and Newark.

 Visit Table 8 and find examples of their work on display.

We’re always looking for help, so please reach out if you’re interested in volunteering.

For more than 25 years, Lark Music has been a leading musical insurance specialist, offering musicians a choice of either a bespoke and personal service, or quick and easy online quotes, depending on your needs. We understand the diversity of the musical sector, so we cater for all musical instruments across every type of genre, whether you play professionally or as a hobby, and whether you play locally, nationally or internationally. Our specialist team can tailor our service to you, and because we share your passion for music, we always respond rapidly in the event of a claim.

Instagram: larkmusic_mi

Website: larkmusic.com

Email: music@larkmusic.com

Over my 10 years’ experience I have specialised in large-scale instrument restoration and making new instruments. In this time I have worked on many fine old instruments by makers such as Testore, Gagliano, Maggini, Bergonzi and Landolfi. Working on such beautiful examples of instruments has helped me to develop an eye for styles of making which I can incorporate in my own making. After training at the violin making school in Mittenwald, I worked in workshops in France and England (Philip Brown Violins in Newbury) before establishing my own workshop in Strasbourg, France.

Website: huegel-violins.com

Instagram: @catherinecolline

Email: info@huegel-violins.com

I have been making bows with various colleagues, this last year with the talented Lee Guthrie, working on a very successful English cello model that has been very popular. I have also been making renaissance and classical bows, the former in woods with perhaps more sustainable attributes;. The Larch bow from a 1600 model has also proved very popular... Classical bows are a current mainstay of production too. We have a workshop in Newbury (70 km form London).

Instagram: @georfrederichaendel

www.philipbrownviolins.co.uk

IJmkje is a violin maker and restorer working in Cambridgeshire. She has nearly fifteen years professional experience of which seven specialising in cellos.

In her workshop at home she makes new instruments, mostly violins, and carries out restorations. IJmkje enjoys looking for the character of an instrument and searching for its optimal sound, in collaboration with the player of course.

She also works part time in the workshop of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and regularly at Philip Brown Violins in Newbury.

IJmkje graduated from the Newark School of Violin Making in 2008.

Email: ijmkjevanderwerf@hotmail.com

www.vanderwerfviolins.com

Specialist distributor of bowed stringed instruments, strings, fittings & accessories. Exclusive supplier of Larsen Strings, Despiau bridges, Oldwood1700 varnishes, Leatherwood rosin and Bam cases.

Instagram: @thesoundpostuk

Website: www.thesoundpost.co.uk

At Oldwood, we offer a wide range of high-quality products for luthiers, including special bases, oil varnishes, natural colours, and other essential finishes for stringed instruments. Our products are handcrafted using traditional, time-honoured formulas, carefully adapted to meet current safety and non-toxicity standards. Trust our expertise to achieve durable, premium finishes for your instruments.

Website: www.oldwood1700.com

Since 1890 The Strad has been an indispensable guide for string players, teachers and instrument makers alike, featuring expert advice and practical guidance each month from celebrated luthiers working with traditional techniques and the latest technological advances. Players such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mischa Maisky and many more besides have brought their insight and expertise to The Strad's pages. Authoritative, trusted and influential, The Strad is available in print and digital editions.

Website: thestrad.com

Insta: @the_strad_

Ludivine is a French Maker based in Newark-on-Trent. In 2022 Ludivine opened her own workshop in Newark, after working for several European workshops. She dedicates her time into Making violin, viola and cellos as well as set-up from intermediate to professional musicians. Ludivine is also teaching and coordination the First Year class at the Violin Making School of Newark. Since 2020, Ludivine is a Laureate from the Foundation Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet which she obtained thanks to her cello making.

Instagram: @ludivinebrouillet

Website: ludivine-brouillet.co.uk

Tim Baker graduated from the Newark School of Violin Making in 1981 and worked for W.E. Hill & Sons and J & A Beare as a bowmaker and restorer. He has been a regular jury member for international bow making competitions for over 30 years, and was a major contributor to ‘The British Violin’ and 'Musical Instruments in the Ashmolean Museum'. He is currently short course coordinator for the BVMA, working with colleagues to run a variety of professional development courses at different venues throughout the year. Since 2000, Tim has worked independently as a bowmaker in Oxford.

Instagram: @bakerbows

A collection of the instruments, including a cello, and bows made by members of the BVMA collaborating at Westhope College and Halsway Manor.

The money from the sale of these instruments and bows will support our short courses. This will include buying tools, materials and helping to fund a new building at Halsway manor which will host our professional development courses. 

The BVMA short courses are a place where experience and knowledge are exchanged between different generations of makers, raising the general standards of skills in this country and world wide. 

Website: www.bvma.org.uk

Instagram: @the_bvma

Kai-Thomas Roth came to the UK from Germany to study violin making at Newark from 1986-89, where he also met his wife Caroline Crowley.

He has been making western bowed stringed instruments of all descriptions professionally since 1990, from piccolo violins to double basses, viols and viole d'amore, of any historical period, as well as being a specialist for 'five-string' cellos, including 'da spalla' research. He is a founding member of the BVMA remaining active in its organisation to date.

Instagram: @kaithomasrothcellos

Website: www.kai-thomas-roth-cellos.co.uk

Janos HEJJA, born in 1976, grew up surrounded by string instruments. Initially a cellist, he chose to pursue a career as a string instrument maker, specialising in cello construction, restoration, and sound adjustment. His Héjja Cello has become a renowned name in the field, with nearly 100 cellos now in the hands of satisfied owners. His instruments are regularly featured at prestigious events such as the Amsterdam Cello Biennale, Kronberg Academy Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Resonanzen in Vienna, Mondomusica in Cremona, and the Wine and Violin Festival in Budapest.

Website: www.hejjacello.hu

Instagram: @hejjacello

Stefano and Valerio have been collaborating since 2015 in the construction of stringed instruments.They put care and dedication in sound performance: each part of the instrument is measured, checked and catalogued, in order to have a detailed archive of parameters such as density, elasticity and sound transmission. Their instruments have been awarded in several international competitions, and are played and appreciated by musicians and collectors around the world. Amongst others, their latest prize is a GOLD MEDAL for quartet tone received at the 2024 VSA competition.

Instagram: @gibertoni_nalin

website: gibertoninalin.com

Trained in the French tradition, the bows Chris makes are inspired by makers of the transitional and early modern periods and combine traditional woods with more unusual decorative materials: Whitby Jet, Lapis Lazuli, Black Oyster.

Working with musicians he has created bespoke bows tailored to their specific requirements.

Besides modern bows Chris makes period bows, copied and adapted from surviving examples. He also does sympathetic restorations of old bows, repairs and re-hairs.

Instagram: @halsteadbows

email: halsteadcj@yahoo.co.uk

Established in London since 2002, Andreas has gained a reputation for making excellent sounding instruments as well as for sound adjustments and set ups.

He has made instruments for the renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch, chamber musicians Nicholas Miller, Roger Coull, Marina Solarek, Jane Gordon, orchestra leaders and soloists David Fruehwirth, Julia Schroeder, Lea Birringer, Triin Ruubel and the Salzburg Mozarteum's leading violin teacher Igor Ozim, who have performed, broadcast and recorded extensively on their Hudelmayer violins

Website: hudelmayer.com

The Florian Leonhard Fine Violins New Making team specialise in copying old instruments which not only have a strong visual resemblance to the original but also a powerful sound to meet the expectations of the modern player. Having access to the originals allow the team to perfect the details and further inform their research into methods used by the old masters. Each instrument is adjusted with the player who ordered it to achieve their ideal sound and response. The team are also able to adjust the measurements to fit the individual personally, creating a truly unique instrument.

Website: www.florianleonhard.com

Instagram: florianleonhard

William John started work at Ealing Strings in 1977 restoring and studying instruments of the great Italian masters; Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri etc. He started making violins, violas and cellos in 1980, alongside some of Europe’s finest makers. Having left Ealing Strings in 1991 William continues to make and restore instruments for soloists, orchestral musicians and students.

Website: https://www.williamjohnviolins.co.uk/

Instagram: williamjohnviolinslondon

Email:

I have been making bespoke violins, violas and cellos for over 20 years, and my instruments can be found in the hands of musicians around the UK , Europe and America.

I try and create beautiful looking instruments but with my unique sound and playability that can capture the musicians imagination.

Instagram: @ColinCharlesAdamson

Email: mail@adamson-violins.com

Website: adamson-violins.com

On graduation from the NSVM, Mark restored & repaired for The Royal College of Music before setting up his own workshop in Cornwall. 30 years on, Mark has become a fine & established maker, his instruments are played all over the world. 

Since 2017 Mark has the privilege of being violin maker in residence for the most prestigious IMS Prussia Cove.

Due to his remote location, he often takes satellite workshops around the UK to work with clients.  Mark also teaches player-based workshops at various conservatoires around the UK.

In London his instruments are available from My Luthier.

Website: jenningsviolins.com

Instagram: jenningsviolins

I started training at the Maestri Liutai school in Gubbio, moved to England and completed the 3 year course at the Newark School of Violin Making. From 2007- 2010 I worked as a maker at the Roger Hansell workshop, in North Yorkshire. In 2010 I moved back to Italy, where I set up my workshop in Perugia. I won Best Sound in 2013 at the ANLAI violin making competition with a violin, and in 2015 a viola received the Edrev Prize. In the past few years I’ve taken courses with Francois Perego on varnish, Sound Adjustment with the BVMA and taken part at the workshop in Brandenburg as well working in Montreal at the Collectif Lutherie Montreal.

Website: www.protaniviolins.com

Instagram: @protaniviolins

Rebecca studied violin making at the Newark School of Violin Making, UK.

She obtained her diploma in 2002 and went on to gain experience repairing instruments in various workshops around England, before moving to Toronto in 2007.

In 2011 she moved to Montreal, Canada, where she now works at Wilder & Davis.  Introduced to bow making by her colleague, Andre Lavoye, Rebecca divides her time between her private workshop where she makes instruments and their bows, and Wilder & Davis, where she repairs instruments.

Email: rebeccasp2002@yahoo.co.uk

PIRASTRO is a producer of fine handmade strings, rosins, and accessories in Germany since 1798. Discover strings, rosins and shoulder rests such as the PIRASTRO KorfkerRest® LUNA® at our BVMA Makers’ Day booth table 39.

PIRASTRO range of products:

• strings

• rosins -designed specifically for PIRASTRO strings

• shoulder rests (KorfkerRest® / KorfkerRest® LUNA®)

• accessories (string care products)

PIRASTRO is the only string manufacturer worldwide to produce strings made of gut, steel and synthetic core for: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass, Gamba, Concert harp, Folk harp, Erhu

Instagram: @pirastroofficial

Website: www.pirastro.com

Robin Aitchison and Sarah Mnatzaganian have devoted the past thirty years to all aspects of cello care and making, achieving an international reputation for cello sound adjustment and the creation of well informed copies of great 18th century masterpieces. Robin's cellos are played by many fine professional cellists, including orchestra principals and soloists.

Instagram: @aitchisoncellos

We met at the Newark School of Violin Making, graduating in 1996. Three years later, we established our own workshop in Bonn, Germany. Our services include instrument making, repair, and sound adjustments. We work with all string quartet instruments, with a particular focus on the viola. Over the years, we have developed violas with varying body and string lengths, which are now played by musicians across Europe.

Website: atelier-gschaider.de

Email: info@atelier-gschaider.de

As an established maker, William’s instruments are recognized for their ease of playing and character of tone. Having trained at Newark, he worked for Geigenbau Machold, one of the top workshops in Europe before setting up on his own. Since the late 1990s, he has devoted himself to making new instruments, enthusiastic about fulfilling musicians’ needs and the making process, gaining recognition for his research into authentic tools and methods of construction. He is known as being one of the few makers who make small violas, as well as violins, some medium-sized violas and cellos.

Website: williamcastle.co.uk

Email: william@williamcastle.co.uk

Martin trained in the world renowned firm of W.E. Hill and Sons in the late 60's and early 70's producing fine Instruments of the Violin family from his workshop in the beautiful hills of Mid Wales and over the past 50 years since becoming an independent maker and repairer, he has become recognized as a Maker of distinction, whilst also continuing the repair and restoration of quality Instruments for musicians throughout the U.K and abroad.

Email: martinhilsden@inbox.com

Website: www.hilsdenviolins.com

Daniela was fascinated by the Violoncello da Spalla as soon as she tried one. “Unconventional” but perfectly fitting in the violin family, not standardized but with a strong personality. Used by the most important composers of the baroque period, the Violoncello da Spalla later lived a rich but mysterious life until the sparkly renaissance it is experiencing today. Its versatility makes it the perfect companion for today’s musician: bass, viola and violin all-in-one, it appeals to all musical genres, from classical to folk music. Don’t miss your chance to try one!

Website: linktr.ee/violoncellodaspalla

Instagram: @violoncellodaspalla

The Violoncello da Spalla is the most versatile instrument you can encounter. With the open strings of the cello and the violin, you can easily play bass lines as well as the melody, and all that is in between. It's the perfect companion of today’s violinist and violist: playing a missing part in a chamber music group, doubling a choir part, accompanying students, recording one-man orchestras in studio or at home. Fitting all genres of music, from classical to folk, indie, jazz, electronic, soundtracks… All this on top of its original baroque repertoire! Don’t miss your chance to try one!

Instagram: @violoncellodaspalla

Website: violoncellodaspalla.it