Sergio GISTRI

Sergio Gistri studied trumpet at the Florence Conservatory “L. Cherubini” and got his diploma in 1979; then, he began a long career as a jazz musician, taking part to several international festivals, recordings, radio and tv broadcasts. He started up his training in instrument making in 1992 by building lutes under the guide of Pascal Goldsmith. Afterwards, he studied with the violin maker Paolo Sorgentone in Florence ; with him he acquired skills and knowledge about making and restoration of early bowed instruments. Through an intense individual study on the originals preserved in the main European collections (both public and private), he went into a deep knowledge of baroque instruments features. He opened his own workshop in 1998, in Colle Val d'Elsa ( Siena ). His work is now devoted to the building of bowed instruments after XVIth, XVIIth and XVIIIth century originals, especially violas da gamba and violones. He carefully follows the building styles and features of the original, but at the same time his work is the expression of a personal way of interpreting instrument sound and aesthetics. At present he has built about 80 instruments, created for famous musicians and important ensembles (such as Modo Antiquo, Accademia Strumentale Italiana, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Europa Galante and others in Italy and Europe ) and played in several recordings. He has been invited with them to international meetings and exhibitions, such as the International Symposium on italian viola da gamba (Magnano, Biella, Italy, 2000), Colori della musica (Accademia di S. Cecilia, Palazzo Barberini, Rome 2001), the Festival International de la viole de gambe (Asfeld, Reims, France 2002), European viol makers meeting (Fertans, France, 2006).

Colle Val d'Elsa (SI) - Italia