Pawel Kubacka Wins Top Prizes at Wieniawski and Prague Violin Making Competitions

June 12, 2025, 5:12 PM · Twenty-nine-year-old Polish luthier Pawel Kubacka has been making waves this spring at several international violin making competitions in Europe, earning top prizes - total of nine medals and awards - for sound, craftsmanship, artistic impression and more for his violins.

"The last month has been a true emotional rollercoaster!" Kubacka said. "It’s been a time full of hard work, stress, and sacrifices – but it was all worth it. My work has once again been recognized by an outstanding jury, and I’m incredibly grateful."

Violin maker Pawel Kubacka, with one of his award-winning violins.

First, Kubacka won three prizes at the 15th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Making Competition, held May 9 to 16 in Poznan, Poland. Among the among the 76 instruments submitted to the competition, Kubacka won First Prize for his violin "Sona," Second Prize for his violin "Luna," and the special prize for highest-rated violin-making craftsmanship for his violin "Luna." Other prizes went to Chinese maker Liu Zhaojun (third prize and special prize for best sound qualities, both for her violin "Sunrise." )

And in June, Kubacka won six prizes at the International "Metelka" Violin Making Competition in Prague, which attracted 28 makers from around the world. His awards included First Prize in the Overall Classification, Gold Medal for the Best Instrument, First Prize for the Best Scroll, Prize for Best Artistic Impression, Prize for Best Technical Merit and Special Jury Prize. Other winners in that competition included Klemens Siatkowski, with Second Prize in the overall classification; Martyna Reske with Third Prize and the Best Varnish; and Jan Lipinski with Gold Medal for Best Sound.

Prague Violin Making Competition winners

Winners of Prague's International "Metelka" Violin Making Competition - L-R: Klemens Siatkowski, Pawel Kubacka, Martyna Reske and Jan Lipinski.

Kubacka started playing the violin in the third grade, and "over the years, it fascinated me with its unusual construction," he said. "Over time, the dream was born to one day play on a self-made instrument."

Because his father is a carpenter, Kubacka had access to basic tools that allowed him to create his first instrument. That first instrument was the result of self-teaching - "I obtained information about the construction of violins mainly on the Internet," he said. "Thanks to my tenacity and patience, by trial and error, I managed to create my first hand-made instrument."

Knowing that he had much more to learn, he conquered his innate shyness and visited the nearest luthier for advice. "In each subsequent instrument, I tried to correct my mistakes and strive for perfection," he said.

When he was 21, he enrolled at the Academy of Music in Poznan, where he studied lutherie for five years and earned his Artistic Violin Making diploma. As a student he also took part in masterclasses with known makers such as Iris Carr, Samuel Zygmuntowicz, Stephan von Baehr, and Peter Beare. As a student he worked as an intern at Jan Bartos's workshop in Paris. He started entering international violin making competitions as a student.

After completing his studies, he worked as an assistant for violin maker Piotr Pielaszek. He became a member of the Polish Union of Artist Violin Makers (ZPAL) in 2021 and since 2023 has run his own atelier, specializing in making violins, violas and cellos. He has made instruments for members of the Vienna Philharmonic, Krakow Philharmonic and the Representative Military Orchestra from Warsaw.

Kubacka said that he makes violins, violas - and cellos on request. He makes four to five instruments a year, with each instrument taking two to three months to complete. "I make everything by hand with an emphasis on precision and the best possible sound results."

As a result of his win at the Wieniawski competition, Kubacka's "Sona" violin will will join the Violin Making Collection of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

"The level of the (Wieniawski) competition was astonishingly high. So many unbelievably good instruments were submitted!" said luthier Antoine Nedelec, a juror for the Wieniawski competition.

"It’s a wonderful feeling that even as a juror, I can find inspiration in some of these instruments," said Danish luthier Noémie Viaud, another juror. "You often hear comments like: ‘Modern instruments all look the same. This competition is the best proof that they absolutely don’t."

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Pawel Kubacka Wins Top Prizes at Wieniawski and Prague Violin Making Competitions

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