I was born in Germany into a musical family, started music lessons at age four and took up the cello when I was ten. I soon became interested in the mystery of instrument construction and, after making my first violin at age eighteen, I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life making violins.
I graduated with Merit from the Newark School of Violin Making in Newark, England in 1987, and proceeded to work as a violin maker and restorer for the Beverley Music Center in the UK and for Sandra Wagstaff Violins in Hong Kong. In 1992 I set up my own business as a violin maker and restorer in Hong Kong. I also played as a freelance cellist, performing all over Hong Kong and going on several tours of China and Taiwan. This experience really put me in touch with the needs of the working musician.