Virgilio Capellini

Virgilio Capellini was born in Cremona in 1928. He studied violin making at the Cremona International School with Peter Tatar. After his graduation in 1947, he struggled to find reliable work as a luthier, so he worked as a carpenter in his father’s woodworking studio. Demand grew for stringed instruments after the difficult period of the 1940s and eventually Capellini was able to return to his career as a luthier. In 1957 he opened a workshop in Cremona alongside Alfredo Primavera. Primavera opened his own shop two years later but Capellini continued to work at the shop independently until 2006.

Capellini worked mainly with traditional Cremonese models, including those of Stradivari and Guarneri. He often used a red-brown varnish. Capellini’s instruments are of very fine quality and are prized by professional players around the globe.