ALBERTUS BEKKER

My passion for the violin was ignited at the age of eight, when I started playing the instrument as one of Annemarie Swanepoel’s pupils in Pretoria. During 1990, while studying engineering, I toured Europe with a friend and a chance visit to Mittenwald inspired me to attempt building my first violin.

Since then, I have completed and restored many instruments of the violin family. I have also spent some time in shops in London and Paris. In 2008 I attended two courses in violin building and restoration in Italy.

I draw my inspiration from the classical Cremonese violins of Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati. My most recent violins are inspired by the famous 1702 Antonio Stradivari violin, the ‘Conte di Fontana’, as played by David Oistrach. This violin is from Stradivari’s so-called “golden period” and pays homage to the style of his teacher, Nicolo Amati. It seems as though at the height of his career, Stradivari wanted to recapture something from his formative years.