SEBASTIAN MENDE
VIOLIN MAKING

I was born in Arnstadt in 1975 and brought up in Weimar with cello and singing lesson. After my school education, I first began to study musicology and art history before I turned to the artisanal combination of the two: violin making. I became a member of the Michaelstein Chamber Choir, which is based at the music research center of the same name. Through the choir’s regular collaboration with Ludger Rèmy, my love for ‘early music’ grew deeper over time. After an internship and apprenticeship with Matthias Misch in Vieselbach, I went to Markneukirchen to study string instrument making. There I concentrated on researching and building baroque instruments. Afterwards I was able to work for almost ten years in Tilman Muthesius’ workshop in Potsdam, where I built and repaired violins and violas da gamba. Also, I was able to gain valuable insights into the areas of high-quality repairs, play equipment, and gain knowledge about historical instruments during a year of parental leave replacement in the Benjamin Schröder workshop in Frankfurt am Main. After I received my master craftsman's diploma in 2016, I started my own business as a violin maker. Since the summer of 2019 I have been living with my family and workshop under one roof in my hometown, Weimar, and have dedicated myself to a variety of historical instruments.

Services

• Construction of string instruments from different families, sizes, and epochs (violins & violas de gamba of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism)
• Construction of clip-in-frog bows
• Accurate repairs and modifications of string instruments
• Highest demands on authenticity (construction, design, and function)
• Constant efforts to expand cultural and historical knowledge
• Exchange with other violin makers, musicians, scientists
• Passing on my skills and knowledge through teaching