Victor Hugo Velez grew up in Argentina and studied to become a violin master in Italy. After meeting an Estonian woman nine years ago, he moved to Estonia. "Like most foreigners here, a classic story," he laughed.

Velez, who also studied the violin himself, admitted that nowadays, he prefers to make violins rather than play them. "I don't want to spend hours learning the violin anymore. When I studied the violin, it was a minimum of three hours a day," he said.

A master maker who has made violins for both the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) and the Estonian Opera Orchestra, Velez also receives commissions from other countries, and the violins he has produced are used to delight audiences in Germany, Chile and Peru.

Velez told ERR, that in a year, if he works hard, he can make six violins, with each one taking around two months. The violins Velez creates cost between €6,500 and €7,500 on average.

Just like people, every violin has its own character, says Velez. "Even twins have different characters - it's exactly the same with musical instruments."

As well as making new violins, the master craftsman also repairs old ones. Velez pointed out, that old and delicate instruments, which have already been repaired several times require special care and attention. "They are really museum instruments, it would be better to put them away," he says.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!