Trying out Modern Cremonese Violins at Metzler Violin Shop

March 28, 2025, 11:32 PM · Unless you live in Italy, it's a bit of a rare thing to have 50 brand-new Cremonese violins, violas and cellos all under one roof, waiting for you to try out.

But that has been the case for the last month at Thomas Metzler Violin Shop, which is just a short drive from where I live. Cremona - the city where the great Antonio Stradivari made his famous instruments - today boasts hundreds of violin shops and makers, and the instruments in this exhibition all not only hail from that city, but they also carry a stamp of approval from the Consorzio Liutai "Antonio Stradivari" Cremona.

I wanted to see these violins and play them in person, before they are returned to Italy in a few weeks, so on Thursday I drove over to Glendale and tested four of the violins - these particular ones were made by Giorgio Grisales, Mina Mazzolari, Martin Gabbani and Marco Piccinotti. (You read details about all 50 of new the instruments online - click here). By the way, if you live in LA - you can still go to the shop and test the instruments - contact them here.

Here is a video with my very casual impressions about the sound and appearance of the four instruments I tested, with some brief playing.

Laurie Niles tests out four violins from the Cremonese Violin Exhibition & Sale
at Metzler Violin Shop:

While at the shop, I also had a conversation with founder and owner Thomas Metzler. We talked about the history of violin-making in Cremona, the advantages of brand-new, bench-made fiddles, features of Cremonese violins, his experience in holding some 12 exhibitions like this one, and more.

Interview with Thomas Metzler:

And from last month, violinist and conductor Andrés Cárdenes plays 33 of the modern Cremonese violins that are at Metzler for the exhibition, for a "tonal comparision."

Violin Night! Cremonese Violin Exhibition with Andrés Cárdenes - here is the livestream from Feb. 19.

See more videos from the Cremonese Violin Exhibition tonal comparison nights on the Metzler Violin Shop Youtube channel.

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