Davide Negroni was born in Cremona on the 9th August 1991. He is a second-generation luthier with his father, Massimo, being both a violin maker and a teacher at the International Violin Making School of Cremona. From a young age, he was introduced to the art of woodworking in his father’s workshop, where he developed the manual skills that enabled him to build two different types of guitars. During the summer months, he worked in the workshop of his uncle, a restorer, where he cultivated a passion for the restoration of fine antique furniture. Through both conservation and integration techniques, he learned to recognise historical styles and materials, as well as traditional techniques of French polishing, gilding, and shellac varnishing, always respecting the methods of the past. In 2009, he graduated from the B. Munari Art High School in Cremona. Shortly after, thanks to his strong manual abilities, he was hired by Giani, a well-known organ-building and restoration company based in Corte dÈ Frati (Cremona). Although the work was fascinating, he ultimately decided to leave the position to dedicate himself fully to violin making alongside his father. This marked the beginning of a professional journey that soon led him to construct violins, violas, and cellos based on the models of Antonio Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù, Domenico Montagnana, and Michel Angelo Bergonzi. For his instruments, he uses top-quality tonewoods from his father’s seasoned stockpile, including essential acoustic elements such as bridges, bass bars, and soundposts. He learned varnishing, touch-up, and French polishing techniques using a mixed varnish formula perfected over decades in his father’s workshop, favoring an amber-orange reflections over a golden-yellow ground. In 2015, he registered as a luthier with the Chamber of Commerce in Cremona and continues to work closely with his father at their workshop on Corso Pietro Vacchelli 7.
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