MARCELLO BELLEI

Marcello Bellei was born in Modena, Italy, in 1976. He is a dedicated contemporary Italian violin maker who has received international recognition from musicians and collectors alike.
He was inspired and guided by the renowned M° Renato Scrollavezza during his studies at the Violin Making School of Parma. He has worked with M° Lorenzo Frignani, and collaborated with M° Alberto Giordano and M° Marco Imer Piccinotti.
Since opening up his own workshop in 2004, he has focussed on making top quality instruments for professional musicians from all over the world. Besides making his own instruments, he also teaches in the Violin Making School of Pieve di Cento (Bologna).
Marcello is a founding member of “Liuteria Parmense” (2002).
His works
Marcello comes from a family of wood crafting traditions, thus he has a natural affinity towards wood, forms and shapes. While his work is deeply influenced by Emilian masters such as Augusto Pollastri, Gaetano Sgarabotto and Ansaldo Poggi, Marcello still thoroughly profits from the advice of by M° Giancarlo Guicciardi of San Damaso (Mo), who was, himself, a direct pupil of M° Ansaldo Poggi.
He is always exquisitely ‘manual’, showing extreme precision and loving care to detail. He is meticulous about the choice of materials for his instruments: a combination of only the highest grade, well-seasoned woods and special recipes of varnish produce such masterpieces which bestow both the highest acoustic and aesthetic qualities.

Prizes

• Second prize in the violin section at the 8th National Violin Making Competition in Baveno 2001
• Special recognition “Provincia di Cremona” for the best acoustics in the violin section at the 8th National Violin Making Competition in Baveno 2001
• First prize in the cello section at the National Violin Making Competition, Pisogne 2011
• First prize and Edrio Edrev prize in the viola section at the National Violin Making Competition, Pisogne 2011
• Special recognition for the best acoustics in the antiqued violin section at the International Violin Making Competition, Pisogne 2012
• Second prize in the violin section at the 9th Anlai National Violin Making Competition in Cremona 2015
• First prize in the cello section at the 8th International Violin Making Competition, Sesto Fiorentino  2017
• Third prize, bronze medal,  in violin section at the International “Triennale” Violin-Making Competition, Cremona 2021
• Polish Union of Violin Makers Award for the Best Acoustic in violin section at the International “Triennale” Violin-Making Competition, Cremona 2021

Training

• Attended the Violin Making School of Parma, guidance of M° Renato Scrollavezza
• Collaborations with M° Alberto Giordano (Genova) and M° Marco Imer Piccinotti (San Polo d’Enza)
• Working with M° Lorenzo Frignani between 1998 and 2003
• Bows maintaining and restoring course by M° Cavallazzi at the Civica Scuola di Liuteria, Milano
• String instrument restoration course by M° Hans J. Nebel at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
• Copying and antiquing of string instruments by M° Samuel Zygmuntowicz – Parma
• Instrument set up, acoustics class by M° Guy Rabut – Parma