Martin Schuster 'Conte Vitale' Viola 16.25" Melbourne 2024

This viola was made by Martin Schuster in Melbourne, in Australia, in 2024. Schuster was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, and came to violin making through both music and craftsmanship. He studied cello with the principal cellist of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra and played extensively as a young musician before studying violin making. He graduated from the Newark School of Violin Making in England in 1988. After Newark, Schuster spent twelve years working as a maker and restorer in master workshops in the Netherlands and Germany, including with Joost van der Grinten, Peter Körner and Gerriet Groth. In 2001 he moved to Melbourne and established his own workshop, where he continues to make and restore stringed instruments. He is also a founding member of the Australian Violin Makers Association. Schuster makes violins, violas and cellos using traditional materials and methods associated with the Cremonese tradition. His work also includes restoration and repair of older instruments and bows. His modern instruments are individually handmade, with his current work increasingly focused on new making rather than general restoration.

This viola is labelled "Martin Schuster fecit / Melbourne anno 2024". It measures 408mm along the back, 199mm across the upper bouts, and 246mm across the lower bouts. The back is in two pieces of well-flamed maple with a narrow curl, and the ribs and scroll have been made to match. The top is of a finely grained spruce, and has been finished with a red-brown varnish and ebony fittings.