Igor Moroder
Son of an artistic family and direct descendant of the famous painter Josef Moroder Lusenberg (Ortisei 1846-1939), he was born in Bolzano in 1961 and grew up in Ortisei in Val Gardena and already at an early age he had the opportunity to work with wood at his grandparents workshop as they were sculptors. Also, he was given a musical education by his musician parents.
After his high school studies in Bolzano (ITIS mechanics section), he started working on violin making back in 1980, attending the international school of violin making in Cremona, graduating there in 1984.
He later worked in Karl Otto Schenk’s workshop as a collaborator in Bern until 1988, learning the various techniques of stringed instrument restoration. In 1988, he moved to Lausanne, becoming the assistant of Pierre Gerber and Pierre Mastrangelo, refining even more his knowledge of restoration, specifically developing his knowledge of acoustic instrument tuning.
During his stay in Switzerland he had the opportunity to see and study many high-tech tools. During his studying years he devoted himself to the study of the piano, then cello, as well as studying English and French.
After coming back to Italy in 1991 he began working on his own, first in Verona and later in Turin, devoting himself to the restoration, the improvement of the instrument’s acoustics, the construction and sale of stringed instruments. He later opened his new atelier in Via Vincenzo Bellini, 11 in Milan in June 2014.
He has never abandoned his lab in Ortisei, where he occasionally works. For personal beliefs he has never participated in violin making competitions, although he has made about 150 works, including violins, violas and cellos.
Also for this reason, he has never been a member of violin making associations.
However, he has many contacts with the elite world of violin making and attends refresher courses. He held teaching courses in various occasions, above all, in Cremona.
Over the years he has trained several students. Currently he is writing a book on violin making, to be used as a manual to integrate basic knowledge of this specific subject matter and which is intended for those who engage in the study of string instrument making.
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