Aug 20, 2007

August: Pierre A Lindström,
Violin Maker

Being an employee of Samuel Zygmuntowicz, the most famous violin maker alive, Pierre A Lindström is quickly making a name for himself in the world of violins.
Among the people in his trade he's simply known as “the Swede who works for Sam”.
Meet Pierre A Lindström - a master in the making.

He's quickly gaining a reputation as a violin maker. In 2000, while still studying violin making in Leksand, Pierre was handpicked by master Samuel Zygmuntowicz to begin working for him as an apprentice in his Brooklyn studio. Four years later he was employed by his mentor and became known in the world of violins as “the Swede who works for Sam Zygmuntowicz”.

Today the 33 year old Falun native spends three to six months a year in Zygmuntowicz Studios in Brooklyn, New York, making replicas of violins by the great Italian masters like Stradivari and Guarneri. The customers are some of the top soloists of the world and just recently Pierre sold a violin to the world’s most renowned music school, Juilliard in New York.

Normally he charges 110 000 Swedish kronor (approximately 12 000 euro) for a violin. That might sound like a lot of money for a music instrument, but taking into account the number of hours spent making it, and all the heart put into the process, the price tag suddenly appears much more reasonable. Making a violin is, to say the least, a time consuming craftsmanship. Normally it takes two months, 12 hours a day, to complete a handmade violin. Just the paint job in order to create the perfect 400-year-old-vintage-look takes a couple of weeks.

- It’s definitely hard work, but the feeling when you’re done is unbelievable. You start with two lumps of wood and two months later you got this fantastic music instrument in you hands, Pierre says.

He’s intrigued by the history of violin making and the heritage from the old masters. Modern violin making is all about making perfect replicas of the master pieces from the golden era during the eighteenth century. Today there exist around 600-700 original pieces by Stradivari in the world – most of them owned by collectors and famous soloists. The fine pieces trade for about five million dollars.

- At Zygmuntowicz Studios where I work I get to hold such master pieces almost everyday. It’s a great feeling. We measure and analyze them and make moulds in order to build the perfect replicas.

One reason that the great violinists of the world come to Zygmuntowicz Studios is that traveling with an original violin, which might be 300-400 year old, can be problematic. The originals are very much affected by changes in humidity and fine tuning a Stradivari after traveling across the Atlantic can take up to three days.

Is it possible to build replicas that are as good as the originals?

- That’s a hard question to answer. I would say yes. The best builders in the world can make replicas that are as good as the originals, but still an original Stradivari is the finest music instrument that you can own.

Are all violins handmade?

- No, there are machines for making violins. The Chinese are doing a lot of mass production and the result is actually quite good.

But you’re not worried that you might be replaced by a machine some day?

- Not at all. No machine will ever be able to copy the unique style of Stradivari or Guarneri.

Do you have to be a skilled musician to build a great violin, or is it enough to be a skilled craftsman?

- Some say that you don’t need to know how to play the violin, but I think it’s necessary. If you are a musician you can do a great deal of the final adjustments yourself. And customers appreciate that.

-What’s your musical background?

- My background is in folk music. I’ve played the violin since I was a kid and I still do. I held up for a couple of years when I was in my teens and folk music was considered somewhat uncool among my friends. But then I started again when I was in my twenties. That’s how I got involved with violin building. I couldn’t afford a new violin, so I started fixing up old ones. I learnt the skills from violin makers in Falun and that’s how I became hooked. Then two of them recommended me for the violin making school in Leksand.

Are there many violin makers in Sweden?

- I think there are around 40 certified makers, but most of them only do repairing and restorations. When I started out there was already a couple of active makers in Falun, which actually turned out to be very good for me. The market for repairing was already floded so I needed to do something else. That’s why I started building new violins, which I think is every violin maker’s dream.

Do you manage to make a living from your profession?

- Nowadays I do, but there’s been some though years as well. That’s how it is when you want to make a living from your passion.

What’s your plans for the future?

- I would love to move to New York and live there. I love that city. I hope it’s going to happen some day.
And next year I’m going to participate in a big violin building competition in Portland, Oregon. I’ve competed once before and did quite well, but now I’m working on the perfect violin for this competition.

Need a great violin? Read more about Pierre and his work at: lindstrom-violin.com

Recipe for men’s man of the month in August

Name: Pierre A Lindström.

Age: 33.

Family: Wife Josefine.

Occupation: Professional violin maker.

Merits: Pierre is the apprentice and employee of master Samuel Zygmuntowicz, the world's most renowned violin maker. He has recently produced a violin for the world famous music school Juilliard in New York.

Vanity level: 3,9 - Oh yes, he's good looking, but we bet Stradivari wouldn't approve of the "Falu-surfy-surfy" Quick Silver tee.

Enjoys on his spare time: Sailing and snowboarding.

Most beautiful place on earth: Brooklyn.

Looks up to: My mentor Samuel Zygmuntowicz.

The world’s most beautiful man: Will Ferrell.