Alberto Cassutti

Alberto Cassutti learned the art of violin making at the Parma school led by Renato Scrollavezza. In 2006, he moved to London (at Bridgewood & Neitzert and Florian Leonhard) to learn the tricks and methods of restoration. He attended refresher courses by Guy Rabut, Hans J.Nebel, Andrea Ortona, Iris Carr, Gudrun Kremeier, George Stoppani, Claudia Fritz, and Pierre Flavetta, where he perfected techniques such as set-up, varnish retouch, acoustics and innovative methods of restoration.

Antique instruments restoration is also an opportunity for the construction of new one, and collaboration with London-based violin makers Gabor Draskóczy and Philip Ihle allows him to further his fascinating research into the creation of antique-style violin copies. His work philosophy can be described in the following words: “I love the scent of wood and feel the warmth to the touch and feel the life that animates it. I love the curves and the elegant shape of the instruments and the research in their soft flow, the harmony of the proportions. I love capturing the deep, the color of sound, of a voice that reveals unique and mysterious, and I like to feel it vibrant, free and capable of arousing deep emotions.”

Making and repairing stringed instruments allows him to fully experience this passion. To do this, he chose the long road of research, comparison, experimentation to grow slowly, but solidly in an art that for centuries has enchanted people with its charm and mystery.