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Birth : 1956 in Pozzaglio (Cremona)

Biography

Born in 1956 in Pozzaglio, a village near Cremona, Ivano CONTI developed an early interest in working with wood, thanks to his father Giulio, a talented furniture restorer.

In 1971, he enrolled at the Istituto Professionale per l’Artigianato Liutario e del Legno in Cremona, which trains interior architects, cabinetmakers, and luthiers.
The first year brings together students from all three disciplines, and Ivano, who at the time intended to become a cabinetmaker, was noticed by Francesco BISSOLOTTI, in charge of the training. Captivated by the young student’s technical skills, BISSOLOTTI convinced him to devote himself to violin making.
It is important to remember how little known and popular violin making was in Italy in the 1970s to understand Giulio’s surprise when he learned of his son’s new professional path: “Luthier! But what is that profession?”

From his second year of study, Ivano set up a workshop in Robecco d’Oglio, in a former stable provided by his mother’s uncle. There, he applied and experimented with what he learned during his courses, built his first violins, and began selling them, usually unfinished, to established luthiers or dealers.

He quickly also made some sales to students of the Brescia Conservatory. This is how Valerio Pappallardo, who taught violin there, discovered his instruments and placed a first order, and the following year, his colleague Anna Bonomelli began sending her students to him. These two encounters marked a decisive step in his young career.

Graduating in 1975 under the direction of G.B. MORASSI, Ivano CONTI settled in 1977 in a ground-floor apartment at 24 via Bonomelli, in the heart of the old town of Cremona.
By chance, he discovered the workshop of Bruno TOSONI, a wood sculptor. His frequent stops in front of the workshop window attracted the master’s attention, who, curious about this habit, invited him in and, sensitive to the young luthier’s personality, took him on as a student and collaborator. Ivano practiced sculpture alongside violin making until 1980.

During these years in Cremona, while most of his work was devoted to classical violin making, his encounter with the AMIS association of Como (1) offered him the opportunity to connect with the world of baroque music, giving rise to a production dedicated to this repertoire. It was also at that time that he met Andrew Dipper, who would later play an important role in this field.

In 1981, he married Catherine RENATI, whom he had met during his studies. The young couple then settled in Les Bayards (Switzerland), in Catherine’s parents’ house.

In January 1987, Ivano recalled his first contact with Andrew DIPPER, when he was asked to restore a viola da gamba. DIPPER, contacted for advice, invited him to join his workshop in Taynton to carry out the restoration together. From this stay, Ivano returned confirmed in his taste for baroque instruments, of which he would later build several examples.

He practiced classical instrument restoration and setup with Gimpel SOLOMON.
For knowledge of instruments and bows, it was Jean WERRO, a recognized expert, whom he regularly visited in his Bern workshop, generously assisting him with his advice.
Finally, his encounters with Wilfred HAKOUNE, as well as Jean-Paul and Pascal LAUXERROIS, were decisive in his bow-making training.

On December 1st, 1987, Ivano CONTI opened his workshop at 24 Münstergasse, in Bern.

Works
Ivano CONTI’s productions stand out as much for their variety as for the models that inspire them, whether instruments or bows (see Archives).
Violins, violas and cellos are found alongside lutes, theorbos, chitarroni, baroque and romantic guitars, viols da gamba and viols d’amour.
From his Cremonese period onward, his interest in baroque instruments developed alongside that for quartet instruments, but from 1987, following his move to Bern, it became limited to a small number of exceptional pieces.
To date, his production amounts to around two hundred and fifty instruments of all kinds.

Labels and stamp
To date, Ivano CONTI has used seven different labels (see Iconography).
Depending on the period, they vary in their wording, and may or may not include a date or mention the model.
Some instruments are signed in ink on the lower rib and may also bear a stamp.
Bows are stamped under the lapping. (see Iconography).

Sources
(1) AMIS : Antiquae musicae italicae studiosi
- Ivano CONTI (2025) for all biographical information.

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