Geigenbaumeister
Cremona, Italien
My name is Georgi Nikolov. I was born in 1997 in Kazanlak, a bulgarian town with a rich tradition in the field of the violin making , but currently living and working in Cremona.I am son of one of the first masters of lutherie in Bulgaria– Maestro Hristo Nikolov and my biggest aspiration. Luckily, as a child, I had the opportunity to trace carefully the whole process of making musical instruments and this awoke my passion and encouraged me to choose it as a career path.
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 continue 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 est 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 10 years I have made various bow instruments like violins, violas, and cellos. After seeing my work, a client has the opportunity to choose between ancient 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 a 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, old growth (15-20 years), and well-dried. 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 always do my best to maintain my interest and curiosity and due to that fact, several years ago I started studying the Spanish quartet of Stradivari and I have already worked on a few trimmed instruments.I am also a member of The Violin Society of America (VSA).
In spite of my young age, I have spent years building depth of knowledge in violin making. I am dedicated and result-orintated person and my first thought at the beginning of each day is how to improve myself and become better and better. I respect the work of every luthier and always look for a contact because personaly for me, the exchange of experience is a key aspect of my future development.
In my life career mastering perfectly new skills and satisfying my clients needs are the main priorities.
My professional accomplishments throughout years can be classified as:
The violin is a beloved instrument in a multitude of cultures and a wide range of genres. One of my latest works of art is my violin model Antonio Stradivari 1715 “il Cremonese “.It was rewarded in 5th place for modern violins, category “Professionals” in the held this year XIII Concorso Internazionale di Liuteria ANLAI di Pisogne in May-June 2022.
The material which I chose to make it is very old wood from my father`s storage bought in 1989. Seasoned for 33 years this wood has very low humidity. The back is a one-piece slab-cut maple with beautiful and extraordinary flaming from the Balkan area. The top plate is extraquality spruce from Val di Fiemme, Italy with straight and regular grains. The violin is based on the classical Cremonese method of violin-making following the tradition of the old Italian masters. Some of the characteristics include internal mold used for making the rib structure, precisely made overhang of the top and back plate and soft edges, shallow fluting of the purfling channel and beautiful long bee stings.
Its magnificent golden brown color and its sensuous, vibrant, and pure sound delight the senses and excite emotional admiration while looking and listening. The sound is strong, beautiful, balanced, and magically harmonious. A lot of passion, attention to detail, accuracy, and of course a pinch of love are put into the working process. That’s why my violin has this majestic vision. As Joseph Wechsberg said “A violin should be played with love or not at all”, mine is
designed especially for the devoted to music professional violinists.
Gerne beraten wir Sie telefonisch, natürlich aber am liebsten direkt vor Ort.
Rufen Sie uns an und vereinbaren einen Termin oder besuchen Sie uns direkt in unserem Ladengeschäft.
