I made my first steps in the violin making at the age of 14. Having decided to follow my father’s steps in this profession, I studied violin making for 5 years in the High school of Fine Arts and Design located in my hometown. After I graduated, in 2016 my passion and interest in lutherie took me to Cremona, Italy where I continued studying in the International School of Violin making “Antonio Stradivari”. Due to my skills, I directly started in the third year in Maestro Giorgio Scolari’s class. During that year I won a diploma ”Premio Grandi-Taglietti”- the best student of the school for 2016-2017. In July 2019 I graduated with honors from the International School of Violin making “Antonio Stradivari” studying in Maestro Daniele Scolari’s class.

 

Over the past 12 years I have made various bow instruments like violins, violas, and cellos. After seeing my work, a client has the opportunity to choose antiqued and modern, because I have specialized in making both styles. In the process of varnishing, I use spirit or oil varnishes. During the years I have greatly improved my skills and technique experimenting with different approaches. The making of a violin is work of precision, based on ancient proven methods which have remained unchanged for centuries, so that’s why I follow the Classical Cremonese-style models, such as Stradivari and Guarneri, using the internal mould. In some instruments, I use the French or external method for making the rib structure. The wood material (spruce and maple) that I use for the manufacturing of the instruments is of high quality,  well-dried (15-20 years). The spruce is from Val di Fiemme, Italy, and the maple is from the Balkan region. My instruments have a label in the inner part, fire stamp, logo, and certificate of authenticity with my name “Georgi Nikolov”. 

I am also a member of The Violin Society of America (VSA).