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Helen Violin Maker

modern violin maker

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Work In Progress

314: violin based on Antonio Stradivari 1734 ‘Habeneck’

12th August 2019

  This is a lovely project. It’s a commission from close to home, a violinist in Manchester’s Hallé Orchestra who lives quite near me. Philippa had seen one of my violins and heard quite a lot about my work before she visited. When we chatted about what she was looking for, I thought that a …read more

313: Violin based on Paolo Maggini c.1630

5th April 2019

  This is something of a dream commission for me. I’m a big fan of the work of Paolo Maggini and many of my violas in particular are based on his work. He also made a number of violins during his lifetime, some of dimensions which correspond roughly to today’s standard, and some which are …read more

312: Cello based on Francesco Ruggieri 1694

21st March 2019

I met the original of this cello in 2015, when I and three colleagues made a collaborative copy of it for the Royal Northern College in Manchester. The RNCM owns this lovely instrument, and we were lucky to have it to hand while we were working. It’s since joined my repertoire of cello models. This …read more

309: 15 1/4 inch (38.7cm) viola based on Meares/Hardie

22nd February 2019

This viola is currently available for sale at £9000. Every year, the British Violin Making Association organises a Makers Day in London, a one-day exhibition of contemporary work. At this year’s event I found myself eating my hurried lunch sitting next to Ben Hebbert, the BVMA chairman. He whipped out his phone and showed me …read more

311: 13 1/4 inch (32.7cm) cornerless viola

8th January 2019

This is a lovely commission; a viola that has been ordered to be ready for a small viola playing son, and also when he has outgrown it to become part of the collection of the Benslow Loan Scheme; ‘”to put something back” as my customer says. Good for him. I’ve made many of these small …read more

310: Cello based on G B Ruggieri c. 1685

21st November 2018

  This model is an old friend. The original belongs to David Strange, who has had a distinguished career as principal cellist at the Royal Opera House and  Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, and latterly as Head of Strings at the Royal Academy of Music. I met him early in my career and he kindly let me …read more

308: 15 1/2 inch (39.3cm) viola based on Gasparo da Salo, April 2018

27th July 2018

This has been the most popular viola model recently; its rich and powerful sound belies its manageable size. The one I made at the end of 2017 generated two new orders, and this is the second, for a talented young player who has just started her studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst …read more

307: 15 1/2 inch (39.3cm) viola based on Gasparo da Salo, February 2018

12th April 2018

This is currently a very popular model; its size makes it super-manageable for players with a restricted stretch, and it has a lovely sweet, warm sound with a rich and solid C string. It’s a commission from a player who has a back problem which makes it all-but impossible to play her larger viola. We …read more

306: 15 3/4 inch (40cm) viola based on Paolo Maggini, January 2018

9th March 2018

This viola is a commission from a player in Suffolk, who has seen and liked a viola of this model that belongs to a colleague. The model is actually based on a Paolo Maggini violin. Maggini worked in Brescia, northern Italy at the end of the 16th and early 17th century, and is known particularly …read more

305: 15 1/4 inch (38.7cm) asymmetric viola 2017

22nd January 2018

I’ve been working on this design for several months. One of my customers contacted me to float the idea of a commission for a new model viola. She has one of my 15 inch two-cornered violas, which she is generally happy with, but felt that a new instrument with a few changes would suit her …read more

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1A Grasmere Road
Sale
Manchester
M33 3QU
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helen@helenviolinmaker.com
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0161 972 0839
0044 161 972 0839

Latest from Helen

Lutherie 2022

In 1999, one of the then tutors at the Newark School of Violin Making had the great idea of setting … Read More...

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