Violin Maker
Hyun-Jung Park
Cremona, Italy
Park Hyun-Jung started learning to play the violin at the age of 7, throughout her life she continued her studies as a violinist at an art high school and university. In the meantime, she became interested in violin making and in 2011 she entered the ‘Istituto Stradivari’ violin making school in Cremona, Italy, the home of string instruments.
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Short Bio
Full Name: Hyun-Jung Park
Age: 34
Highlights
Experience: 13 Years
New making style: CopyNew
Credentials
Rising Star-Maker
Background as a Musician
Graduated from the ‘Istituto Stradivari’ in Cremona
Bow-making Knowledge
Awards
Third Prize at the 8th International Ccompetition of Sesto Fiorentino
Second Prize at the 9th A.N.L.A.I. Violin Making Competition - Cremona, Italy
Locally making
Cremona, Italy
Maker Background
In 2015, when she was a student, she began to emerge as a violinmaker by winning the Silver Prize in the Young luthier category at the A.N.L.A.I Competition in Cremona. She has a diploma of professional course in violin making for 5 years and additionally completed a one-year professional bow-making course at the Academia Cremonensis. She currently works at Amorim Fine Violins in Cremona, and personally as a violin maker and bow maker.Maker Interview
Why did you start making instruments?
Ever since I was little, I have loved doing things with my hands, whether it was drawing or playing musical instruments. Naturally, I learned a lot about art in general and majored in playing the violin.
Unlike when I was a teenager when I didn't know what I wanted to do, in my 20s, I started thinking deeply about what I like to do. I loved the violin, but I didn't seem to be interested in playing in front of an audience or teaching anyone.
Rather, I liked the creative activities of writing or making something alone. For me, who likes violin and creative activities, making a violin was probably the reasonable choice.
Why your instruments are so special?
I've been working with violins for 25 years as a player and 10 of those as a maker, so I have a detailed understanding of what players want in playing the violin.
From my experience as a player, I can understand what players want, what they find comfortable or uncomfortable with their instruments, and how to improve them.
I studied the bow-making specialized course because I knew the effect of the bow on the performance based on my experience as a musician, and I thought that learning bow-making would give me an in-depth understanding of the relationship between bows and instruments.
As a maker, I have studied a variety of things, such as the selection of wood, design, tension, arching shape, weight, and the material of the varnish, so that the instrument can be made stably. I'm making in a way that gives an advantage to the sound but does not put much strain on the wood.
What I'm pursuing is to help the musician play without technical discomfort, and to help the wood to make their own sounds comfortably.
What is your inspiration?
Before anything else, the luthier that influences me most is Antonio Stradivari. For over 10 years, I've been making instruments modeled on the form he used, and I've been trying and studying a lot based on academic data of his instruments.
The instruments of the Amati family, which I consider the most beautiful, and the violins of Guarneri del Gesù, which have the most impressive and powerful sound, also inspire me a lot. And I think the instruments from the 1800s and 1900s based on them are also fascinating.
Understanding the curves of each instrument stimulates my creativity. While studying old violins like these, the exchanges with contemporary violin makers and players also inspire me a lot.