Festival market

Diego Juri Tajé was born in Cremona, and from a very young age he was fascinated by the art of violin making. He had the opportunity to visit the workshops of master violin makers and spent many days at the Civic Museum of Cremona and in the Hall of Violins, observing the tools and masterpieces created by my city’s famous violin makers. After completing his university studies and earning a degree in Agronomy, he began working in business consulting. Diego Juri also started gaining experience in musical instrument making in the workshop of Maestro Massimo Negroni—a teacher at the Antonio Stradivari International School of Violin Making in Cremona—and under the guidance of Maestro Francesco Bissolotti he made a violin. During the same period, in the year 2000, he successfully passed the entrance exam—as an independent candidate—to enter the third year of the Antonio Stradivari International School of Violin Making in Cremona. Tajé supplemented his training by attending workshops, including one with Maestro Guy Rabut on mounting. For the construction of his instruments, he uses internal molds; the varnishes are alcohol-based with colors ranging from amber to brown-orange on a golden-yellow base; in rare cases, he has used oil-based varnishes. His production includes violins, violas, and cellos.

A’dam Touch is a collective of 20 international independent cello and bow makers exhibiting together at the 2026 Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. The instruments are presented as a shared exhibition, inviting musicians to discover, compare and play them freely. It is an approach built on collaboration rather than competition, celebrating the diversity of contemporary instrument making - an approach that feels perfectly at home in Amsterdam. We invite you to explore the collection, meet the makers and discover the many voices of A’dam Touch.

Jan Strumphler was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands in 1958. From 1984 to 1987 he trained at the Newark School of Violinmaking in England. After qualifying as a violinmaker, he then went to work for the well-known bow maker Matthew Coltman in London. He returned to the Netherlands in 1989 and set up as a bow maker in Vleuten, Utrecht. Besides making new bows, he also does repair and restoration work. From 1997 to 2017 Jan was secretary of the Dutch Group of Violin- and Bow makers (NGV) since 1997. He is not the first Strumphler who earns his living with a combination of music and craft. The first Strumphler who came to the Netherlands, at the end of the eighteenth century, was the well-known organ builder Johannes Strümphler (after several years in the Netherlands, Johannes dropped the umlaut on the u in his surname). His organs are still to be found in churches and homes all over the Netherlands, and are still being played, for instance in the Eusebius Church in Arnhem and the Geertekerk in Utrecht.

Hans-Peter (1965) has made violin making, and mainly cello building, his 2nd career. He learned the craft of making from German Geigenbaumeister Bernhard Zanders in Hinsbeck. Hans-Peter looks for big, warm and colourful sounds in his instruments. They should work well in orchestral, solo and chamber music settings. He is convinced that the design - and execution - of the arching is the key to the sound he seeks. Playability is another key point in his instruments: an instrument must allow the musician to concentrate on the music. His instruments must respond to the musician with directness and clarity, without compromise.

Matthieu Legros is a French cello maker. He began learning the craft at the age of 15 at the National Violin Making School in Mirecourt, graduating in 1995. Over the following three decades, he worked in workshops across France, Spain, and the Netherlands before establishing his own studio in Brno, Czech Republic. Throughout his career, he had the privilege of collaborating with renowned musicians, luthiers, and institutions, which allowed him to restore exceptional historical instruments—an experience that has deeply shaped my approach to cello making. Taking inspiration from the great masters, whose work was grounded in original design, Legros has always made his cellos from his own models.

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Gijsbert G. van Ziel (1962) trained as a violin maker at the Newark School of Violin Making in England (1988–1991). During and after his training, he gained valuable experience at workshops in Berlin, Montpellier and Madrid. On his return to the Netherlands in 1995, he established himself as an independent violin maker. In recent years, in his workshop in Rotterdam, he has focused primarily on building new instruments, particularly cellos, but also violins and violas. In addition, over the years he has built up extensive experience in improving the sound of instruments and devotes a great deal of attention to the adjustment of both new and antique instruments. As a child, Chaim Achttienribbe loved spending time in the workshop of his father, the Groningen-based artist Peter Achttienribbe. In 1999, Chaim decided to combine his love of working with wood with his love of music. From 1999 to 2002, he trained as a violin maker at the Newark School of Violin Making (England). After graduating, he worked for three years at Loerakker Violin Makers in Haarlem. From 2004 to 2017, Chaim was co-owner of Maas and Achttienribbe Violin Makers, and since 2017 he has been based at Achttienribbe Violin Makers on Czaar Peterstraat in Amsterdam. Currently, Chaim focuses primarily on new instrument construction and restoration at Achttienribbe Violin Makers.

Alexis Legrosdidier builds a small number of contemporary cellos each year, inspired by the warmth and character of the classical Italian tradition. Rather than reproducing historical models, he seeks to give each instrument its own voice.  Every cello is conceived as a unique project and carefully crafted, with particular attention to sound colours, projection and playing comfort. Alexis' work is appreciated by professional musicians, teachers and performers in France, and he welcomes visitors to discover my instruments and their individual musical personalities.

Robert Brewer Young stands among the world’s most active and respected violinmakers. Trained as a luthier in the artist’s studios of Carnegie Hall in New York, Robert has cared for scores of instruments by Stradivari, Guarneri and other classical Italian masters. He is now devoted exclusively to making signature instruments in the spirit of these Cremonese visionaries. Robert’s cellos, violins and violas are played by soloists and in orchestras around the world. His clientele includes members of The Stockholm, Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, the San Francisco, Seattle and Shanghai Symphonies, The Kirov and Paris Opera Orchestras, Harvard University, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a cello maker, Robert Brewer Young is represented by J & A Beare for whom he makes a limited number of instruments each year. Before focusing on violinmaking, Robert studied Photography at the San Francisco Art Institute and restored antiquarian books in Paris and New York. He uses these skills in his role as designated researcher and restorer of the Hill Archive. He is currently completing doctoral work in mathematics and logic and is on the faculty of the European Graduate School in Switzerland as a lecturer in philosophy.

From a very young age, Tanguy Fraval was deeply moved by music and the arts.  While playing the guitar and the oud, he became fascinated by woodworking. He pursued a five-year training program in cabinetmaking to master the complexities of working with wood.   After studying at Newark and Sherwood College in England, where he specialised in the construction of classical and flamenco guitars, he decided to enroll at the Newark Violin Making School for an additional three years. Tanguy Fraval also had the privilege of expanding his knowledge under the guidance of master luthiers such as P. Robin, A. Frandsen, and F. Chaudière for instrument making. Graduating in June 2004 with merit honors, he continued his journey by delving into the works of the great masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. He spent two years at S. Krattenmacher's workshop in Berlin, working on major restorations of instruments from this period. Driven by passion and enthusiasm for creative expression, he continued his career with T. Meuwissen in Brussels, where he refined his skills in instrument making Since early 2008, he has been working as a freelance luthier in Brussels. Tanguy and his family moved to Brittany, France in 2006 and is part of the CLAC a collective group of makers based in Paris. He crafts violins, violas, and cellos entirely by hand and individually, allowing him to meticulously control and refine each piece. Tanguy Fraval is dedicated to contributing to the evolution of contemporary lutherie.   Website Tanguy Fraval

Saskia Schouten started her education at the workshop of Paul de Froe. Then she went to the International Violinmaking School in Cremona (IPIAL) where she graduated Maestra in 1986. She worked together with some colleagues in Tuscany and Palermo. She is specialized in making new instruments: cello's, viola's and violins.

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Louise grew up near Frankfurt, Germany, where she developed an early interest in both music and the visual arts. Alongside her cello studies, she eagerly visited violin-making workshops whenever she had the opportunity. After attending two introductory courses, she knew she had found her vocation. Following her training in Mirecourt, Louise worked with renowned luthiers Bernard Sabatier and Patrick Charton in Paris, before joining Fabien Peyruc's workshop in Toulouse. There, she refined her skills in restoration, sound adjustment, and the care of violin family instruments. In 2019, Louise established her own workshop, where she builds violins, violas, and cellos, with a particular focus on cello making. Seeking to deepen her expertise, she worked under the guidance of Frank Ravatin, building a cello while benefiting from his extensive knowledge and experience. In 2020, she attended a specialized course on violin varnishes with painter and conservator François Pérégo, gaining the scientific and practical knowledge needed to develop her own varnish recipes. Committed to continuous learning, Louise is a member of ALADFI and regularly participates in international conferences and advanced training courses. Inspired by the great Cremonese makers of the 17th and 18th centuries, she studies their instruments closely, drawing on their principles rather than producing direct copies. Her instruments have been exhibited at major international events, including the Salon du Violon in Paris, Mondomusica in Cremona, and Ekho in Brussels. In 2026, she was awarded Third Prize for a Cello at the International Violin Making Competition of Mirecourt.

Hubert de Launay is a violinmaker and historical researcher based in Utrecht. He began his early training in the Netherlands with Harry Jansen and Guust François before moving to England to study at West Dean College. Developing a strong focus on cellos, he honed his expertise working alongside Michael Byrd, with whom he restored a Guarneri cello, and John Dilworth, which afforded him the opportunity to study numerous Stradivari and Rugeri cellos in depth. He further expanded his knowledge of the craft during his years with expert Andreas Post in Amsterdam. While his background is rich in restoration and research, making new instruments is where his heart truly is. It is how he puts his extensive research into practice. Deeply rooted in history yet ready for the modern stage, Hubert draws his inspiration from the old Dutch masters. By understanding their choices, their quirks, and their genius, he brings this lost 17th century knowledge into the 21st century so it can resonate with today's players.

Theo Marks studied violinmaking at the Scuola di Liuteria di Parma under Renato Scrollavezza and has now been professionally active for over 20 years. His instruments are played internationally by quartet musicians and in major orchestras including the Concertgebouworkest.  He regularly attends the Oberlin Violinmaking Workshop.

Anne Diana Grohman lives in the central Pyrenees, surrounded by welcoming and generous nature. Her workspace is dedicated to share and exchange with musicians and integrate them in the making process of hand made instruments. Through diverse training in France (Nice), Belgium (Antwerp), Italy (Milan) and Germany (Berlin) she got a modern perspective of violin making. It is rooted in the Italian tradition though, which for me is born out of the simplicity and purity of a complex work following the rhythms of nature. As an instrument maker she wants to create something real, meaning it has to bear a very special energy appropriate to the musician. Grohmann: '' I think that we’re told of universal beauty by nature: it’s only through our senses that we can perceive it! I feel connected to the change and evolution of our time, which requires a search for new resources and a reasonable use of techniques and materials.Using traditional tone wood with best performances and experimenting with regional woods from the french pyrenees such as cherry, apple, willow, walnut or pear wood makes me happy.''

Gudrun Kremeier trained at the violin-making school in Mittenwald and subsequently worked for Vincent Loerakker and the firm Max Möller. She has been working at Andreas Post Amsterdam since 1995. In 2001, she passed her ‘Meisterprüfung’. She regularly takes part in workshops, including the Oberlin Violin Makers workshop in Ohio. Website Gudrun Kremeier