Clean designs
- Ester is one of the few violin makers in her region
- She creates and restores string instruments
- She is passionate about baroque instruments
When asked by a high-school teacher whether she preferred to “become Caesar or Caesar’s chef”, Ester realised that she could do something noble and emotional in life, yet staying in the background rather than being on stage. She decided to evolve her passion and sensitivity for sounds into learning a craft and becoming a violin maker. After her studies in Bari and Milan, she spent years perfecting her craft thanks to the guidance of several masters, in Italy and abroad, and learning how to create and restore not just violins but also cellos, violas, gambas and double basses. Today, she runs one of the few violin making workshops in the Apulia region, a territory where this craft is rare but where music is key, as “it represents a social redemption for many young people”.
Interview
- Who were your masters?
- I had several masters during my long apprenticeship after school. I went to Carlo Chiesa’s bottega in Milan, Fausto Cangelosi in Florence and several more, in Italy and abroad. Each one of them guided me in my learning process, refining my mistakes and broadening the range of instruments that I am able to create and restore.
- Which are your favourite instruments?
- Personally, I love clean designs but my passion is for baroque instruments, they are a world apart. It’s a more romantic and pure environment, with less standardization and more creative freedom in terms of both construction and materials.
- What is creative freedom in your craft?
- Well, sometimes it’s just a side effect! In our craft we follow established beauty standards and we are guided by strict acoustic requirements but sometimes, while working, you have to develop your project starting from the magic diversity of a piece of wood, and that’s where freedom starts.
- Is there a tradition for violin making in your region?
- Not really. There is not a culture of respect for old instruments, because there aren’t many role models around yet. But music is everywhere, and many young people play an instrument. It’s also a social redemption for some of them.
Ester Passiatore is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008
Where
Ester Passiatore
