Passionate luthier, musician and instrument restorer
I could have been born with a bow in one hand and a plane in the other, but instead I took up music at the age of 5, starting with the organ and piano in a small village in Burgundy. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I discovered the viola, an instrument that instantly captivated me – to the point of wanting to understand not only how to play it, but also how it resonates, how it lives, how it transforms in the hands of a violin maker.
Graduated from the French Violin making school, Mirecourt-France, my first “workshop” wasn’t much of a laboratory: a spirit lamp, bicycle handlebars transformed into a bending iron, and a good dose of inventiveness. It was then that I realised something essential: violin making isn’t just about tradition, it’s also about adaptation, creativity and patience.
I sharpened my expertise in France, Canada and Norway, working with exceptional luthiers and demanding musicians. Today, I continue to train alongside experts like Iris Carr and Sofia Vettori, because in this profession, you’re never done learning. My greatest challenge? Restoring instruments that everyone thinks are beyond repair.
ILike this double bass, for example. When it arrived at the workshop, it looked more like a pile of splintered wood than an instrument. A less optimistic luthier might have lit a fire with it, but I saw it as a challenge. Weeks of work, gallons of glue and a bit of 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 his instrument that I take to heart to preserve.
Beyond the wood and the varnish, I understand what an instrument represents for a musician: an extension of oneself, a voice, a companion on the road. That’s why I put so much care and passion into every repair and restoration. I want each violin, viola, cello or double bass to regain all its richness of sound and to be able to vibrate again in the hands of its owner.
If you’re looking for a luthier who speaks to you in clear terms, who understands your expectations (and your anxieties) and who doesn’t see a workshop as a silent temple but as a lively place of exchange… you’ve come to the right place!
And if you have an instrument that deserves a second lease of life, let’s talk about it. You’d be surprised at what a good restoration can reveal…