Company Information

Antonio Capela was born in 1932, in Anta, Portugal as the eldest son of Domingo Capela, a world renown violin maker and repairer. Antonio received a scholarship in 1961 while learning manual skills from his father, and went to work under the well known French lutier Etienne Vatelot. After a four month stay in Mirecourt, he studied at the International School of Violin Making in Cremona, under the guidance of Sgarabotto and Sacconi from 1964 to 1965. His violins won first prize in 1965 and 1969 in Cremona and in 1972 in Poznan, Poland.

His perspective on ideas and craftmanship has been broadened by his frequent contact with craftsmen in other countries. He has served as a judge for many international competitions, and he has been invited as a guest of honor to nations such as Japan and Russia. As he inherited his talent and training from his father, he carries on the tradition by teaching his son Joaquim;further strengthening the deeply rooted instrument making tradition, initiated by Domingo Capela.

Antonio’s message about violin making: For me, it was a pleasure and a challenge to make a copy of The “Hellier”violin, specially for two reasons: Only a few violinmakers have done it. The model itself touches me by its beauty and aesthetic expression.

Giorgio Scolari was born in 1952 in Castelnuovo del Zappa (Cremona). He was a student of G. B. Morassi and P. Sgarabotto, at the International School of Violin Making where he graduated in 1970. He worked with Morassi until 1976 and then opened his own workshop. He is also Vice President at the school where he has been teaching since 1972. He models his work after the classical Cremonese school style and uses a varnish of orange-yellow red color. The following is his message:

There exists an art which brilliantly melts into it sculpture, painting, assembly techniques, acoustics and mechanics. That art which came into blossom around us and which elevated Cremona to absolutely incontestable supremacy shared only by few in the world that art is Liuteria (musical instrument making).

This art is capable of translating harmony, rhythm, color images, one’s own emotions, impulses, and sensitivities into sound. In a word, it must give life and form to one’s interior world.

While learning previously perfected techniques and with my passions sustained throughout the school period, I always sought to honor the great Cremonese tradition of musical instrument making.

Even though it is said that its zenith was reached 250 years ago, it has never ceased to evolve and improve, while in recent years it has arrived at a prestigious height in the entire world.