Michele Dobner

The violin architect

• Michele became a luthier to combine handcrafting and love for music
• He makes four or five violins a year
• He personally selects wood from the Dolomite Mountains

Growing up in a family of architects, Michele Dobner developed an early interest in building things from scratch. However he did not follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. Michele always had great manual skills, but he also had a great love of music: that is why he picked a path that brought together his two passions and became a luthier. Or an instrument architect, as he likes to describe himself. "Violin making is similar to designing houses, in that you have to choose the best materials to obtain the best results," he explains. So, after graduating at the civic school of lutherie in Milan, he spent two years in Madrid, where he trained as an apprentice in the workshop of a string instruments restorer. When Michele came back to Italy, he moved to Cremona, Stradivari’s hometown. Here he opened his own atelier in 1998.

Interview

©Michele Dobner

©Africa DOBNER

How many string instruments do you make in one year?

Four or five if they are violins, perhaps fewer if one of the instruments is a cello. The making process is extremely long and involves taking care of many details. The most 'romantic' part, though, is the beginning, when I go to the Dolomite Mountains to select the best spruce wood myself.

Is your craft based on tradition or innovation?

Violin making has not changed much since the 17th century, when it all began. Nowadays, we still build our instruments like the first masters did. Every luthier can add their personal touch with small details, mostly aesthetic. But true innovation lies in research, when you manage to revive old and forgotten techniques, tools or materials.

Do you work alone?

Yes. One thing that I like about being a luthier is that I am fully independent. Not only can I manage my time, but it is also great to build something from scratch. Recently, I have been sharing the atelier with a Korean colleague and it is interesting to exchange skills, even if we each work individually.

Is there an episode of your career that you remember with affection?

There is one related to my daughter, who has been studying to become a musician. The piano was her first choice, but then she turned to the cello, so I had the chance to build her instrument with my own hands. It is so nice to think that she is playing something that I made especially for her.

Michele Dobner is a master artisan: he began his career in 1990 and he started teaching in 1999

Works

©MicheleDobner

©MicheleDobner

©MicheleDobner

Where