Enrico Allorto

Luthier

©Enrico Allorto

©Giacomo Mondadori

©Enrico Allorto

A multifaceted passion for music

Enrico is both a musician and a luthier
He is a talented wood carver and inlayer
He conceived the Violino del Mare project

The professional path of luthier Enrico Allorto is rich. As a musician, he soon developed a deep interest in sound and its connection with various materials. He plays the guitar, bass tuba, percussions, industrial metallic tools and writes musical arrangements for marching bands. As a luthier, he graduated from Civica Scuola di Liuteria (School of Lutherie) in Milan. He started working on guitars and violins, then lutes, mandolins, violas da gamba, then he became a piano tuner and a restorer of fortepianos and harpsichords, finally he returned to stringed instruments. Thanks to his artistic talent, he also creates decorative elements for instruments such as sculpted headpieces, inlays, as well as carvings for instruments built by other luthiers.

Interview

©Enrico Allorto

©Enrico Allorto

What do you like the most about your craft?: It’s a special profession, both physically and mentally demanding. We have to resolve many technical problems and carry out historical investigations: it involves continuous research and experimenting. Most of all, I love that it’s like entering another historical era.
Does solving problems mean innovating?: Yes, definitely there is space for innovation, since musicians' needs nowadays are very different from the past. Performers travel a lot by plane, they can change continents and climate in a few hours.
Why are there are so many replicas and also fakes?: The secrets of the Old Masters have been lost and we are trying to recreate their designs. Even if musicians need new solutions, suitable to new lifestyles, ancient pieces seem to be better, but they have been modified through the centuries.
What’s the Violino del mare project?: It was born from my lutherie workshop in the Opera jail: we make stringed instruments from wrecked or confiscated boats in Lampedusa, used by smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea. These instruments are symbols that we should not throw away things – let alone people.

Enrico Allorto is a master artisan: he began his career in 1985 and he started teaching in 1988