GEIGENBAUATELIER Franco Ferloni

However, I discovered the violin around the age of seven. My parents gave me a small violin, and I began taking lessons in my hometown with Giulia Cavicchioni at the Baule dei Suoni cultural association.

Shortly thereafter, I met Martin Schaefer, who would become one of my lifelong mentors: violinist, pedagogue, and teacher, who came to Como twice a year to teach us world music. I then studied chemistry and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering. That same year, I enrolled at the Civic School of Violin Making in Milan and learned the art of violin making under the guidance of maestros Paola Vecchio, Lorenzo Rossi, Stefano Gibertoni, and Nicola Vendrame. I studied the history of musical instruments with Lorenzo Girodo, and applied chemistry and physics to violin making with Claudio Canevari.

In 2016, I earned my diploma in stringed instrument making. I continued to study restoration under the guidance of Maestro Gabriele Negri, graduating with honors in 2018. I also took courses in bow maintenance and repair with Milanese bowmaker Pietro Cavalazzi and advanced courses in set-up of bowed instruments with Nicola Vendrame. From Vendrame, I also learned the bow-rehair technique. I attended two advanced workshops in restoration and retouching with Carlos Arcieri, a New York-based violin maker, student of Simone Ferdinando Sacconi.

From October 2018 to the end of 2025, I worked as a violin maker and restorer for Ufuk Irgin in Lucerne. In 2026, I opened my new studio in Kriens. Since 2022, I have been a member of the Swiss Association of Violin and Bow Makers (SVGB-ASLA), and since 2024, I have been a member of the board of directors.