Conception

As a young apprentice, I was captivated by the magic of Stradivari, Guarneri, and the other Italian masters. Studying great instruments convinced me their approach was not a formula to be duplicated slavishly, but a recipe to guide the artist, allowing flexibility and creativity. As a chef selects fine ingredients and prepares them with a proven recipe, and in the moment of creation brings their wisdom to the work, I seek the finest materials, emulate the principles I have observed in great instruments, and unite them using my experience and knowledge for the finest result I can achieve.

The charm of Italian violins is rooted in a boundless originality. Makers exchanged or borrowed ideas from one another, but making an exact copy of another instrument would have been unthinkable. Attempting to follow in their footsteps, my instruments are based on concepts observed in the work of Guarneri “Del Gesu” and other classic Italian masters. Starting with pencil and paper, I have distilled my impressions of the style of these masters into new instruments and perfected them over decades of work.