Matthias Lehner
Matthias' interest in stringed instruments took hold at an early age. At age four he began his violin and piano studies and, years later, began to study viola. Matthias developed a fascination with the workings of stringed instruments and spent two years with master violinmaker Ernst Fuchs in Ravensburg, Germany. He then apprenticed with Albrecht Loebner, master violinmaker at Koch–Loebner Gmbh and studied with bowmaker Carsten Loeschmann.
When he moved to New York, Matthias spent many years at the workshop of David Segal Violins, five of which he was acting manager. He also spent five years in the workshop of Christophe Landon restoring fine instruments and rehairing bows. Additionally, he has worked as a fine instrument restorer and bow rehairer in the Carnegie Hall Studios of Mosa Havivi Violins.
In Spring of 2007 Matthias Lehner Violins opened near Lincoln Center and has since been serving well–known musicians in New York City as well as a national and international clientele. He is known for his swift and reliable bow rehairs; tonal adjustments of violins, violas, and cellos; and his expert restoration of fine stringed instruments.
Jerzy Wypisz
Jerzy Wypisz was born in Poland. From a young age, Jerzy was captivated by art and nature; he spent much of his formative years drawing, building sculptures and taking photographs.
This passion for artistic expression was put on hold while Jerzy completed a degree in forestry management. For many years Jerzy worked in the forests of Poland where he maintained and developed the land. Little did he know that accumulating this vast knowledge of wood, its behavior and its structure, would play a major role in leading him back to his artistic roots.
It wasn’t until Jerzy traveled to the United States that the world of violinmaking opened its doors. In 1991 Jerzy met Bronek Cison and began his apprenticeship in the workshop of William Harris Lee in Chicago. The demands of violinmaking - precision, sensitivity, patience - greatly appealed to Jerzy. It didn’t take long for the spark to catch, and a great passion for restoring and building instruments took hold.
Since his fateful trip to Chicago, Jerzy has worked in the workshops of Moes & Moes and Julie Reed-Yeboah. Over the years Jerzy has made many beautiful violins, violas and even a few cellos. He joined Lehner Violins in November 2017, where he continues to restore and build new instruments.
Sébastien Lavielle
We would like to congratulate Sébastien on his move to Lausanne. He will be missed here in NYC! If you're in Switzerland you can find his new workshop here.
Sébastien Lavielle was introduced to classical music at a young age. His father, a violinist in the Orchestre de Paris and also a sought-after teacher, played and taught in the home where Sébastien grew up. Sébastien was captivated by music from a young age and enjoyed the tone of stringed instruments as well as their exquisite beauty.
It wasn’t long before Sébastien decided to begin his violin making studies at the L'Academia Cremonensis di Cremona where he studied with Maestro Claudio Amighetti. After completing his five-year studies, Sébastien returned to Paris where he worked in the workshops of Roger Lanne, Pierre Causse, Alain Héron and Gilles Chancereul.
Sébastien moved to New York in 2009 and began working at Gradoux-Matt Rare Violins and, three years later, began working for Lehner Violins. It brings Sébastien great pleasure to complete restorations and to keep these wonderful instruments in their best condition.
Bettina Gold
Bettina Gold was born in Hessen, Germany. She spent the first part of her childhood in Kenya, where her family lived for seven years before returning to Germany.
Bettina’s mother, a talented multi-instrumentalist and avid lover of chamber music, played and performed frequently in both Kenya and Germany. Bettina’s father, an engineer and craftsman, always had personal projects in the works and encouraged Bettina from a young age to see the beauty in creating something new from raw materials.
When Bettina returned to Germany she was eager to begin her musical studies and began taking lessons in both piano and violin. During high school she spent a lot of time in an organ maker’s workshop. This was the first experience she had watching the restoration process from start to finish. The ability of two skilled hands to create and bring to life an instrument was fascinating. Shortly after completing high school, Bettina set out to pursue violinmaking.
She began her studies near Hamburg under the guidance of Christian Brosse, a viola da gamba maker. Bettina moved to the US in 1996 and there worked in the workshops of Phillip Injeian, Viseltear and Young Violins & Andrew Dipper. Bettina also worked for John Waddle.
Shortly after moving to New York, Bettina became a member of Floating the Apple - a community for boatbuilders and rowing enthusiasts. Although she is no longer an active member she still has a wooden boat in her garage that she tinkers with now and then. Bettina currently lives in Sleepy Hollow with her husband and three kids. She began working at Lehner Violins in September 2017.