Violin Maker
Kyle Schultz
England, Newbury
Kyle started playing violins very young and then suddenly fell in love with the instrument’s history and anatomy. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in violin making and repair fromthe internationally renowned Newark Violin making School. His makings are in the traditional method, but with a touch of modernity.Read more
Short Bio
Full Name: Kyle Schultz
Age: 25
Highlights
Experience: 5 Years
New making style: New
Credentials
Skilful Young Maker
Background as a Musician
Innovative Maker
Cremonese Traditional Handcraftsmanship
Works with Own Model
Locally making
England, Newbury
Maker Background
Born in South Africa in 1997, Kyle Schultz fell in love with violins when he was just a kid. The instrument fascinated him. All his childhood, he wanted to play the violin.He started playing at a young age, and through the years, he further developed his fondness for the mechanics and history of the violin.
Kyle decided to learn the craft of violin making and repair through an introduction to numerous books and articles, all written by our most talented craftspeople. This led him to build his first two violins. ln the same period, he was given the opportunity to do minor repairs on student violins at his music school, this was an experience that he cherish as the roots of his craft.
In 2018 he applied to the internationally renowned Newark School of Violin Making and Repair, which received a First-Class Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours. During his three years of studying at the Newark School, he attended lectures with world-renowned makers and restorers as well as receiving funding for courses and the furthering of his degree all generously awarded by the RAB (Rowan Armour-Brown) Memorial Trust for all the years of his degree. What gave him later the opportunity to learn new skills and further his understanding of fine violin making and restoration.
He set up his own workshop in 2021 from home in Newbury in the United Kingdom and currently makes and designs his own instruments and works with his close friend and luthier Andrea Giovannetti on collaborative projects.
Maker Interview
Why did you start making instruments?
When I started playing the violin at a young age, my violin teacher told me about the famous violin maker Antonio Stradivari l was curious and read about him; this led me to research into the rich history of violin making in Cremona, and subsequently, this sparked my desire and passion for wanting to learn how to make a violin, I initially learnt from self-study until I was able to
undergo formal education. This all directed me on the path of understanding the technical anatomy and design of these instruments and has given me a new medium for my art to develop from.
Why your instruments are so special?
I would say my violins are individual beings in themselves; when I start a new instrument from the raw wood, l get a sense of excitement, knowing that as the wood is shaped, bent, and carved, my creation is slowly coming to life.
This gives me great happiness and drives me to study the old master makers of the Cremonese style, such as Niccolo Amati and the early instruments of Stradivari. I enjoy studying the technical side of each of my instruments and how to improve them tonally as well as aesthetically; this is a fundamental key to progressing to a higher standard each time. In my research for a new model, I utilize photographs, CT scans, drawings, and my own thoughts and ideas that I impose on the functional areas of the construction, such as in the arching and bass bar geometry. This all gives my instruments a special appeal of being completely unique and handmade with a high standard.
What is your inspiration?
My inspiration for my instruments is that of the work of Niccolo Amati; the long delicate corners of his instruments, as well as the fantastic geometry of the arching, show me the direction that I would like to continue to move in. All my instruments have a touch of individuality, and this is especially evident in the scroll and soundholes. For some of my models, I tend to use a darker
handmade purfling as it gives an increased emphasis on the outline of the instruments and is especially bold
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