Maker's Name: Mathijs Heyligers

Place of Birth: Holland

Date of Birth: 1957

Workshop location: Cremona

Education: Graduate of the Parma School, studied with Scrollavezza

Mr. Musafia's note: I have had no more pleasure getting to know a violinmaker than I have had getting to know Mathijs.  Besides being a brilliant conversationalist, he is a violinmaker at the top of his profession.  Mathijs combines fabulous craftsmanship with a lot of hard work and ambitious ideas.  Several years back he worked together with a group of international musicians, and a Dutch composer to create a sextet of instruments for a sextet that was being composed -- needless to say, hearing all six instruments, all from the same maker, was astounding.  Recently Mathijs has begun supervising a group of young makers who are making instruments on his models, and with his wood; Mathijs finishes them and sets them up -- they go under the label "sub-dicipline Heyligers" and represent a great value.  Mathijs also does us the favor of arranging the official export of Exhibition instruments from Italy.

Curriculum Vitae: Born in Holland in 1957, he came to Italy in 1975 where he studied with M° Giorgio Cè, Bruce Carlson (restoration) and Renato Scrollavezza (from whom he obtained diploma of Master Violinmaker). He has participated in various exhibitions and competitions on national and international levels. Prize given for a viola at the Competition "L. Spohr" in Kassel Germany 1982 and for a violin at the Violin Society of America Competition in Salt Lake City - USA 1982. Construction of violins, violas and violoncellos, modern and baroque, based on models from the most authoritative Masters of the past and for this reason appreciated by musicians worldwide. Besides the construction of new instruments, much time is dedicated to restoration, in particular original instruments of the baroque period. (C.V. provided by the maker).