Nigel Melfi is a Newark School trained Violin maker of
approximately sixteen years. During this time, he has made a number
of violins, violas and two cellos, which are currently played by a
number of talented musicians around the country. He can usually be
found at the BVMA 'Makers Day' in London, where he will sometimes
display some of his recent work. In 2018, Nigel took part in the
Cremona 'Trienalle' Violin Making Competition, where both his
instruments, a violin and viola, did well. He teaches at Newark
now.
I consider it important to try to inspire students, by hopefully
giving them practical info as well as some historic, in order for
them to catch a bigger glimpse of the amazing work that the 17th
and 18th Century makers achieved. I find that if every student gets
to the end of the day with that feeling of achievement, then good
progression can be made.
I have been inspired by many things, but most often it will be a
person and their ability or talent, as well as their attitude. I am
often amazed at the stories that individuals have, which brought
them to the place where they are now. Obviously, I strive to
improve my work when faced with such a history of excellent
crafts-people!