First professional violin maker in Malaysia on why he and his team have to be ‘crazy’
Tan Chin Seng, whose violins sell for US$14,000, is now mentoring a new generation of makers in a field little known in Southeast Asia
Hunched over his workbench, Tan Chin Seng shaves the wooden top plate of a violin, removing thin layers with slow, deliberate strokes.
The work is meditative, out of the public eye. For Tan, transforming raw wood into a violin is a labour of artistry and love.
The 45-year-old is Malaysia’s first professional violin luthier – a maker of string instruments like violins, cellos and guitars.
Over the past decade, he has earned international accolades. Now he is mentoring a new generation of makers in a field still little known in Southeast Asia.
Traditionally, violin luthiers were associated with Europe, where masters like Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri shaped the modern violin.