The String-Makers

Stephan Schürch

Music, instrument making, string making. The many facets of these crafts are a matter close to my heart. My drive is to learn these different crafts from scratch and combine them with each other. The synergy of my intuition, my wealth of ideas, my perseverance and beeing a passionate musician, drives me constantly forward and allows me to repeatedly break new ground in my creative work.

My path

Apprenticeship as a carpenter
Cello teaching diploma cello with Conradin Brotbeck, University of Arts Bern, Switzerland
Postgraduate studies (viola da gamba) with Jordi Savall and Paolo Pandolpho, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland
Apprenticeship in violin making with Hansruedi Hoesli, Brienz, Switzerland Guidance in string making with Wolfgang Frank, Zwota, Germany
Participation in the research project: "Evidence-based reconstruction of a viola da gamba after Silvestro Ganassi", Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Basel, Switzerland http://www.rimab.ch/content/research-projects/project-early-bowed-instruments/part-1-italy
Participation in the research project: "From Field To Fiddle" (reconstruction of the historical sheep gut string https://www.hkb-interpretation.ch/projekte/from-field-to-fiddle) University of Arts Bern, Switzerland

The musician: www.acorte.com
The luthier: www.geigenbauatelier.ch
The string maker: www.... you have already found me.

Florian Kofler

I have always been fascinated by the search for authenticity. Be it making strings, making music, or arranging music - researching the past is just as attractive to me as experimenting and breaking new ground. I am enriched an inspired, both as a person and as a musician, by the quiet, contemplative work in this traditional and very old craft of string-making.

My path

Cello and baroque cello studies, BA. MA. Bruckneruni Linz, Austria
Composition/Arrangement studies, MA. Bruckneruni Linz, Austria
Guidance in string making with Stephan Schürch, Burgdorf, Switzerland and Wolfgang Frank, Zwota, Germany