Atelier für Geigen- und Bogenbau

After taking her A-Levels in 1998 Irina moves to England to attend the famous Newark School of Violin Making from which she graduates in 2002 with a diploma for violin making and repair.

From 2002-2004 Irina extends her knowledge and furthers her skills in violin and particularly bow making at Geigenbau Winterling in Hamburg.

From 2004-2007 she learns working alongside with Markus Wörz in Munich all facets of bow making from restoration to new making.

From 2007 Irina has the chance to apply her skills by working for several renowned workshops. At William Salchow & Sons in New York she stays for an extended working period and at Marcel Richters GmbH in Vienna she restores bows on a regular basis.

Irina realizes her dream of running her own workshop towards the end of 2007: together with Nicholas Gooch she opens the Atelier für Geigen- und Bogenbau in Munich.

Regular care and service of a bow is critical for its function, condition and value. Repairs such as re-hairing, replacing the leather grip, winding or a new head-plate should be carried out when necessary in order to halt the deterioration of a bow through use. The mechanics of the bow, especially the interface between the frog and bow stick should be regularly checked and if necessary adjusted to minimise wear and tear damage. A bow maker should carry out these repairs with due care and precision while also sympathetically attempting to reflect the style of the bow which they are working on. This of course requires skill and an in depth knowledge of bow making styles and techniques.

The camber, in combination with the grading of a bow stick has a profound influence on the performance of a bow. Only perfect harmony of these two criteria will allow it to function well. A bow which is hard to control or doesn’t respond well will almost always have an imbalance of these two things. This consequently is very limiting for a players ability to articulate using different bowing techniques. Over time, it is possible for a bow stick to lose some of its camber, bend to one side or become twisted. It is therefore advisable to check the bow stick from time to time.

Making a new bow is a process which requires a wide spectrum of skills and knowledge to come together to produce a functional and aesthetically pleasing object which fulfills each musicians individual needs and desires.

Pernambuco differs greatly in character from stick to stick requiring Irina to draw from each piece the required result. The art however is to combine this with the desired tone, playability and aesthetics. A good bow should hold the string well, show no weak areas along the stick length and be simple and pleasurable to use. It takes years of experience in the field of restoration to know which factors make the difference between a good and a bad bow. Channelling this experience into making a new bow is critical. From the selection of the wood, the planing and bending of the stick, to the final set up and balancing. Experience, combined which intuition and attention to detail are the cornerstones of Irina Feichtl’s work.