I could have been born with a bow in one hand and an aeroplane in the other, but instead
I started playing music at the age of 5, first on the organ and the piano, in a small village in Burgundy. It wasn't until I was 16 that I discovered the viola, an instrument that immediately captivated me - to the point where I wanted to understand not only how to play it, but also how it sounded, how it lived and how it changed in the hands of a violin maker.
A graduate of the École Française de Lutherie, my first "workshop" was anything but a large laboratory: a spirit lamp, a bicycle handlebar transformed into a bending iron and a good dose of inventiveness. That's how I came to understand something essential: violin making is not only a matter of tradition, but also of adaptation, creativity and patience. I honed my skills in France, Canada and Norway, working alongside exceptional luthiers and demanding musicians. Today, I continue to train alongside experts such as Iris Carr and Sofia Vettori, because in this profession you never stop learning.
My greatest challenge? Restoring instruments that everyone thinks are beyond repair.
Like this double bass, for example. When it arrived in the workshop it looked more like a pile of splintered wood than an instrument. A less optimistic violin maker might have lit a fire with it, but I saw a challenge. Weeks of work, litres of glue and a little magic later, it was back on stage, vibrating again under the fingers of its moved owner. Because, yes, behind every restoration there is a story, a relationship between a musician and their instrument that I am committed to preserving. Beyond the wood and varnish, I understand what an instrument means to a musician: an extension of themselves, a voice, a companion.
That's why I put so much care and passion into every repair, every restoration. I want each violin, viola, cello or double bass to regain its full tonal richness and to vibrate again in its owner's hands.
If you're looking for a luthier who speaks to you clearly, who understands your expectations (and your fears), and who sees her workshop not as a silent temple but as a lively place of exchange... then you've come to the right place!
And if you have an instrument that deserves a new lease of life, let's talk. You'd be surprised what a good restoration can reveal...