Anqi Ni Violinmaker

About the maker

Anqi Ni is a violin maker based in Cremona, Italy. In 2019 she established her workshop “Laboratorio Violintecture” at the historical center of Cremona, where she concentrates on the construction of fine string instruments – volin, viola and cello.

She graduated from Academia Cremonensis with the guidance of Maestro Giovanni Colonna, who later invited her to join the faculty as a teacher for artistic and experimental workshops. Before graduation, she began further studies with Maestro Gregg Alf and became a collaborative luthier in Alf Studios in Venice from 2019 to 2023. This experience strongly formed her concept for violin sound and playability, exploring its most sensitive and colorful nuances.

She attended various master classes: by Maestro Luca Maria Gallo on varnish techniques in Cremona; by Maestro Carlos Arcieri on set-up at Accademia Perosi in Biella, Piemont; and by Maestro Robin Aitchison on cello sound adjustment in Bilbao, Spain. She has been member of VSA (Violin society of America) since 2020 and an active participant of Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop. In 2024 she joined the Italian Association of Luthiers (A.L.I.). Ongoing learning and sharing with some of the best contemporary makers continues to nourish her pursuit in the understanding of Italian lutherie tradition in innovative lens.

The violin she made for the diploma (nicknamed “Opus One”) was acquired in 2020 by Ms. Eva Lerner-Lam, daughter of the late collector Sau-Wing Lam, and joined her parallel collection alongside rare Italian violins.

Her philosophy in violin making is deeply influenced by her previous training as architect, and essentially motivated by the passion for music. She believes that in the art of violin making, as in Architecture, the ultimate goal is to seek harmony with one’s sense of the world and existence – and this is where Truth and Beauty stand.

“LET MY CRAFT BE YOUR BRIDGE.”

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