The instrument

Cremonese tradition, made for the modern player.

This 2024 violin is the work of Roberto Cavagnoli — a Cremona-trained luthier working in the antique Cremonese style. Every element, from arching to varnish, is shaped to produce an instrument that reads like a serious concert violin: warm but never muddy, projecting without aggression, and quick to respond.

The voice is rich and resonant, with overtones across all registers and a clean balance between brilliance and warmth. It carries cleanly in a large hall and stays expressive in a chamber room.

Wood & varnish

Aged Italian spruce, flamed Balkan maple.

The top is aged spruce from Northeast Italy. The back, ribs, and scroll are flamed maple from the Balkans. Both are selected for resonance and for the way they look under a hand-applied varnish.

Cavagnoli applies a thin, flexible brush-laid varnish in layers. The finish lets the wood move and breathe — which is part of why the sound feels free and open — and gives the instrument an elegant antique-style finish without obscuring the grain.

In the maker's words

From Roberto Cavagnoli.

The instruments I make are handmade in the Cremonese style. I am always looking for the best wood for sound quality and appearance. I pay great attention to the choice of well-seasoned timber of no less than ten years old. The varnish I use gives natural colouring to the woods.Roberto Cavagnoli, Cremona

About the maker

Roberto Cavagnoli, Cremona.

Born in 1975, Roberto Cavagnoli graduated in 1993 from the International School of Violin Making “Antonio Stradivari” in Cremona under M° Giorgio Scolari. He trained for several years in Angelo Sperzaga’s workshop on classical Cremonese models, and from 1998 to 2000 worked in M° Barbara Piccinotti’s workshop, focusing on clean lines and sound research. In 2001 he moved to Australia to work with M° James W. Robinson, deepening his work on instrument set-up.

He participated in the 10th Cremona Triennale (2003), won a Silver Medal for cello tone at the V.S.A. Competition in Portland (2004), and took Third Prize for cello at the XI International Triennale in Cremona (2006). He is a member of the Group of Professional Violin and Bow Makers, the Consortium “A. Stradivari” of Cremona, and the V.S.A. Today he works in his own workshop in the centre of Cremona.

Details

At a glance.

Who it suits

Advanced players, professionals, and serious collectors.

A premium Cremonese violin built for soloists, working professionals, and chamber musicians who want a contemporary Italian instrument with full provenance from a Cremona maker. Equally suited to concert halls and the studio.