Playing the violin as a child got me into violin making . My first two teachers in Graz (Austria), Silvia Germek and Karl Vogt, both played on new instruments made by the local maker Wolfgang Brückner. I was very impressed with these nicely made and well sounding instruments and by the age of 15, I had made up my mind to go into this profession myself. So I am very grateful to my teachers not only for bringing me closer to music but also for getting me interested in violin making. I continued studying the violin and viola, finished my school, and after a gap year in which I studied chamber music, orchestra and solo, and learned some Italian (in case I wanted to study in Italy) I could finally start my violin making career.
The Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City proved to be a good starting point and it was in this enthusiastic atmosphere with all the students there that I got really passionate about violin making myself. Apart from going to school, I also worked in Peter Paul Prier’s workshop to pay for my rent and to learn the basics of set up.
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