Roberto Regazzi (born 20 August 1956 in Bologna, Italy) is a notable contemporary violin maker and scholar who received his initiation in the craft from Otello Bignami. Regazzi lives and works in Bologna.
The debut was at an early age; when he was 14 years old started to be involved with passion in the construction of musical instruments, at that time mostly classical guitars, under the guidance of Alan Wilcox and Renato Scrollavezza in the mid 1970s.
Later, the possibility to become a home pupil of Otello Bignami was crucial for his decision to stop the studies at the Bologna University (Physics) to become a professional violin maker.
Established and well known worldwide for the high quality of his instruments, he has been president of a number of specialized organizations including the European Association of Violin and Bow Makers.
His violins are clear examples of the Italianate sound and in demand also in countries.[1]
Just before the advent of the new millennium his production started to be inspired by Guarneri del Gesù, with the achievement of a rich and full sonority. His work is also inspired by Giuseppe Fiorini, Ansaldo Poggi and Augusto Pollastri (modern Bolognese School).
In 2006 the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna conferred on him an honour in recognition of his work.[2] In 2018 the Fondazione Cologni wanted to have him in the Golden Book of the MAM (Maestro d'Arte e Mestiere), a sort of Grammy Award for handicraft activities."Roberto Regazzi :: MAM - Maestro d'Arte e Mestieri". Retrieved 3 December 2022.
Many are the performers and musicians who have bought and play or have ordered his instruments, including Boris Belkin,[3] Franco Mezzena, Anne-Sophie Mutter,[4] Ruggiero Ricci,[5] Salvatore Greco, Giovanni Adamo, Uto Ughi, Franco Gulli, Anastasiya Petryshak, Sonia Slany, Riccardo Brengola, the Quartetto di Venezia, Peter Fisher and many others.
The Regazzi Library is a large and valuable collection of books, articles and documents about musical instruments, considered a unique piece in the world.[6]
He has been on the jury of a number of contests for luthiers, including the 10th International Competition of the Violin Society of America at Carlisle, Pennsylvania (1992),[7] the Freiburg Baden-Wurttemberg Internationaler Geigenbauwettbewerb Jacobus Stainer (1996), the 5th Baveno Violin Making Competition,[8] the 2nd Concourse in S.M. della neve of Pisogne[9] and the prestigious 10th (2001) and 14th (2021, as a Chairman Jury Member) Henryk Wieniawski Violin-Making Competition, the oldest event of this kind in the world.[10]
He also made several classical concert guitars starting in the 1970s,[11] up to the end of the 1980s, mostly made out of top selected quality Brazilian rosewood and quite special western red cedar and Italian or American spruce.
Every instrument is labelled and branded with iron from the beginning of his artistic career.[12]
He has written books, lectured around the world and organised cultural events relating to his art and profession.[13]
Regazzi is the first luthier from Bologna having been chosen as an official testimonial for the Craft of Traditional Musical Instrument Making at the Bologna Shanghai 2010 Expo.[14]
In the same period he was also the creator and developer of the wiihang, a kind of prepared handpan which uses the infrared technology to be coupled with a specially adapted synthesizer.[15]
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