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SCMP Reporter

Name: Sandra Wagstaff

Job Title: Managing director of Sandra Wagstaff Violins Ltd. I am a luthier,  a person who makes, repairs and deals in stringed instruments in the violin family.

Where did you go to school?

I spent my primary and secondary education at Decroly School in Brussels.

Did you enjoy your school days? Yes. I loved language classes - French, English, German, Dutch, Latin and Japanese. The art sessions, with sculpture and painting, were also favourites.

Did you envisage a career in music? No. Although I was an amateur cellist in my family's chamber music group, I aspired to be a diplomat when I was young.

Which university did you go to?

I read Languages and Art History at Brussels University.

What did you do after graduating? I became an art researcher for a Belgian bank. Then I worked as a translator for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) in Paris. After that I worked at a musical instrument museum established by the Brussels Conservatory (where she learned violin making from a master craftsman).

What have been the key moments in your career? My former husband bought an exquisite antique violin and I was amazed by the beauty. I opened my workshop in Belgium in early 1970s and attended some workshops over three to four years at Beare's. I learned violin restoration techniques and studied violin history, and found out all about how to identify different violins and evaluate them.

Why Hong Kong? In 1988 I accompanied my husband here. I was very content with restoration work, but once I opened the store, orders and clients picked up quickly. I have accidentally become a business woman! At the moment, my work also includes exporting Chinese string instruments to Europe.

What are the difficulties of the job? It is a very rare profession. Sometimes people do not recognise its importance. They think a music teacher can distinguish a fake violin from a genuine antique one. But you have to combine expertise in violin-making with knowledge of the materials and art history, auctions and dealing.

What skills are required? Good concentration and co-ordination of eyes and hands. Knowledge of art history can help. A good ear, but it is not necessary to be a virtuoso musician. You have to keep up to date with new techniques in violin restoration.

Can you recommend any courses? No single course can lead you to this profession. Any apprenticeship in crafts and carpentry, auction and dealing experience and knowledge of violin history will help. You have to combine them all.

Courses around the world:

The Violin Making School of America, Saltlake City, Utah, US (www.prierviolins.com/violin.htm).

Violin Bow-Making Workshop of White River Artisans School, Cotter, Arkansas, US (www.mtncom.com/artisans/).

The Newark School of Violin Making, Newark, UK (www.newark.ac.uk).

Ecole Nationale de Lutherie, 5 Avenue Graillet, BP 16288503, Mirecourt, France.



Knowledge  and effort  can string  together  success