Roberto Regazzi (born 20 August 1956 in Bologna, Italy) is a notable contemporary violin maker and scholar who received his initiation in the craft from Otello Bignami. Regazzi lives and works in Bologna.
The debut was at an early age; when he was just 14 years old started to be involved with passion in the construction of musical instruments, at that time mostly classical guitars, under the guidance of Alan Wilcox and Renato Scrollavezza in the mid 1970s.
Later, the possibility to become a home pupil of Otello Bignami was crucial for his decision to stop the studies at the Bologna University (Physics) to become a professional violin maker. So even during his apprenticeship the firm could be started at the end of 1979.
Established and well known worldwide for the high quality of his instruments, he has been president of a number of specialized organizations including the European Association of Violin and Bow Makers for a couple of times.
His violins are excellent examples of the true Italianate sound and quite in demand also in the United States, Japan, Germany, Ireland and many other countries.
Just before the advent of the new millennium his production started to be steadily inspired by Guarneri del Gesù, with the achievement of a rich, full and charming sonority. His work is also inspired by Ansaldo Poggi and Otello Bignami (Augusto Pollastri's Bolognese School).
In 2006 the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna conferred on him a special honour for the prestige given to his birth city with his long and successful activity.
Famous performers and musicians put their names on his waiting list or bought and play his instruments, including Boris Belkin, Franco Mezzena, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Ruggiero Ricci, Salvatore Greco, Giovanni Adamo, Uto Ughi, Franco Gulli, Riccardo Brengola, the Quartetto di Venezia, Peter Fisher and many others.
The Regazzi Library is one of the largest collections of books and documentation on the specific subject of musical instruments known worldwide.
He has been on the jury of a number of contests for luthiers, including the 10th International Competition of the Violin Society of America at Carlisle, Pennsylvania (1992), the Freiburg Baden-Wurttemberg Internationaler Geigenbauwettbewerb Jacobus Stainer (1996), the 5th Baveno Violin Making Competition,the 2nd Concourse in S.M. della neve of Pisogne and the prestigious 10th Henryk Wieniawski Violin-Making Competition, the oldest event of this kind in the world.
He also made several classical concert guitars starting in the 1970s, up to the end of the 1980s, mostly made out of top selected quality rosewoods.
Every instrument is labelled and branded with iron from the beginning of his artistic career
He has written books, lectured extensively around the world and organized cultural events relating to his art and profession.
Regazzi is the first luthier from Bologna having been chosen as an official testimonial for the Craft of Traditional Musical Instrument Making at the Bologna Shanghai 2010 Expo.
Regazzi,Roberto
