Creating an instrument with a depth of character relies on centuries of tradition – most of which belongs to Cremona, a town in Northern Italy, the most famous centre for the production of stringed instruments in the world. Cremona claims to be the birthplace of the violin when Andrea Amati, invented the prototype modern violin from the viol – the Medieval fiddle. Almost a hundred years later, the most famous of the violin-makers, Antonio Stradivari, began to work in Cremona. Rich in his predecessors’ experience, he developed the research in the art of making stringed instruments in order to obtain instruments which could meet with the requirements of the music of his time. The greatest masterpieces, the history of the art of making stringed instruments ever knew, were thus born…

Today one of the most well known violin-makers in Cremona is Leonidas Rafaelian where for many years now, he has been operating a workshop (Cremona, Capital of Violin Making) in the historic center of the town.