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In a spirit of collaboration: Brandenburg experiments

2026-03-06T10:15:00

Brandenburg Experiments

Makers at the annual Brandenburg violin making workshop joined forces on a two-year project to build and test two identical violins, one of which was made with treated wood. The results were intriguing. Adam Winskill reports on the methodology and findings

In August 2025, the Brandenburg International Violin Making Workshop met for its fifth year. The workshop is the brainchild of Ian McWilliams, a Canadian luthier living in the historic town of Brandenburg an der Havel, 50 miles west of Berlin. Since its inaugural event in 2021, the workshop has proved a massive hit, taking inspiration from the Oberlin model yet without the jetlag for European luthiers and with a smaller, more intimate group…

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