Glanville & Co D.E Glanville Signature Violin Sydney 2026

David Glanville was born in England in 1957 and migrated to Canberra with his family at the age of ten. He began studying viola at a tertiary level in Sydney, but his interests soon turned towards violin making and repair. In 1984, he joined The Fiddle Factory in Northbridge, working in instrument repair.Largely self-taught, Glanville made his first instrument in 1981 and gained guidance in making, restoration and bow rehairing from Harry Vatiliotis, Cedric Clarke and Phillip Burgess, linking his work to the Smith workshop lineage.

In 1991, he and his wife Carmel founded the Sydney String Centre, initially operating from their family garage. The business moved through several locations before settling in Chatswood in 2009, growing into a specialist string-instrument centre serving musicians, schools and orchestras. Glanville’s work has focused particularly on bow rehairing, bow restoration and orchestral string-instrument repair. In 2019, he was recognised in the Rotary District 9685 Vocational Excellence Awards for his work as a luthier and company director of the Sydney String Centre. He has recently returned to violin making, with plans to devote more time to the craft.