Workshop
Welcome to our workshop, we are happy to welcome you from Monday to Saturday by appointment.
Description
In 1989, the workshop opened in Gennevilliers, close to Paris and the city’s Conservatoire.
For 10 years, the couple joined forces with a third luthier, Michele Mecatti, who is now working in Florence.
They rose to the challenge of setting up a successful instrument-maker’s in an iconic city, first with bow maker Pierre Grunberger, and then with guitar maker Morgan Briant.
Antoine Lauhere
His extensive research into ancient varnishes led, in 1995, to the perfecting of an original and exclusive varnish: the ‘en affresco’ varnish, which he has patented and uses for his own creations. In 2007, he was invited by the Cité de la Musique in Paris to present his research at an international symposium.
He time is mainly devoted to making modern and baroque instruments (as well as custom-made instruments) and with particular attention to tone and resonance. He is highly valued for his ability to listen to his clients and understand their requirements.
Between 2007 - 2011, the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (CMBV) and the violinist Patrick Cohën Akenine commissioned Antoine and his wife, Giovanna Chitto', to make 18 ‘re-invented’ instruments in order to recreate the XXIV violons du Roy, the orchestra of the Sun King, Louis XIV): the quinte de violon, the taille de violon, and the haute-contre de violon.
These instruments are regularly played by the CMBV at events organized by orchestral Academies in France and abroad in collaboration with the Regional Conservatory (CRR) and the Paris National Conservatory of Music (CNSMDP).
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Giovanna Chittò
A student at International Institute of Violin-Making in Cremona (IPIALL) under direction of her teacher Vincenzo Bissolotti, she graduated in 1986.
She has been working in Gennevilliers since 1988, devoting herself to the making of baroque and modern instruments.
In 1995, she spent a year at the technical laboratory of the Cité de la Musique in Paris.
She is one of a group of luthiers in the Italo-French musical association ‘Officina musicale’ which organizes the ‘Concert in movement for string trio and contemporary stringed instruments’ which has been taking place in Italy and France for the last 10 years, and for which the composers Bernard Cavanna, Giorgio Facchinetti, Claudio Mandonico, and Mario Saroglia have written works.
A regular visitor at her workshop is Michaela Berner, professor at the National Heritage Institute, with whom she regularly carries out experiments on the treatment of wood and old varnishes.
In 2008, the workshop became the holder of the Entreprise de Patrimoine vivant (Excellence of French Know-How – (EPV)) quality label.
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Luca Lauhere
Immersed in the craft and musical family since my birth in 1993, I began at the age of 5 my first violin lessons at the Gennevilliers Conservatory in the class of Noëmi Schindler with whom I studied for 10 years.
Son of violin makerS,this art tooks naturally a major place in my life.
At 20 years, I went to Italy to attend the "Civica Scuola di Liuteria" in Milan in the class of Lorenzo Rossi, then I continued my apprenticeship in his workshop where I built a violin. During these years, I’ve also frequented the workshop of Julia de Lucca who always generously advised and encouraged me in my work.
When I returned to France in 2017 I continued my training in the family workshop in Gennevilliers where I built 2 cellos as well as several violins and altos.
It is with a great thirst for learning that I hitted the roads of France to meet other violin makers: Jan Bartos, Katia Louis and Rémi Bertaud who opened me the door of their workshops where I could discover new techniques of restoration.
Today, I’m proud to be the second generation of violin makers Laulhère & Chitto'
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Making Flow
If making a violin has changed little since the sixteenth century, each instrument is unique. The precise choice of wood, parts, thickness, varnish and even the time will play on its sound.
Every step of the construction is important. But it is also the musician who will reveal the instrument.
Here is a summary in some photos of the various stages of manufacture.
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