No successor in sight - | A gem closes - | Violin maker in Bietigheim calls it quits
stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.kein-nachfolger-in-sicht-ein-kleinod-schliesst-geigenbauer-in-bietigheim-macht-schluss.6e050fc3-1cab-40d5-b3ce-433000f327a6.html
Photo: stuttgarter-nachrichten.de · view article
Bietigheim Luthier Ends Five-Decade CraftsmanshipAt 72, Michael Kaufmann closes his shop after crafting 90 violins, facing no successor and shifting focus to travel and family.
Key FactsApr 15, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
- Michael Kaufmann will close his violin workshop in Bietigheim-Bissingen in December after 13 years and 50 years in the trade.
- Severe vision impairment forced Kaufmann to stop building violins; he plans to spend retirement traveling and with family.
- No replacement has been found despite efforts, leaving a gap in the local violin-making community.
- Kaufmann highlights the importance of craftsmanship and personal service amid growing online market trends.
The sound, the aesthetics — it's simply perfect.— Michael Kaufmann, violin maker, describing the sound and aesthetics of his violins
Story Details
| Last Updated | |
| Total Articles | 1 |
Main Topics
town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Similar to This
Previous
Malaysian luthiers win 2 golds, 1 silver at international violin-making competition in Italy
thestar.com.my/lifestyle/people/2026/09/22/malaysian-luthiers-win-two-golds-one-silver-at-international-violin-making-competition-in-italy
Burglary at violin maker's: Thieves steal around 60 instruments: Unknown persons stole around 60 violins, violas, and cellos from a violin-making workshop in ...
deutsche-handwerks-zeitung.de/einbruch-bei-geigenbauer-diebe-stehlen-rund-60-instrumente-379521/
MIT's virtual violin offers luthiers a new design tool: Computational model lets users tweak parameters to hear effect on the sound in early design process.
arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/mits-virtual-violin-offers-luthiers-a-new-design-tool/
news.mit.edu May 01
MIT engineers’ virtual violin produces realistic sounds: MIT researchers developed a “computational violin” — the first computer simulation that captures the ...
news.mit.edu/2026/mit-engineers-virtual-violin-produces-realistic-sounds-0429
Daily Sabah Apr 26
Rare violin in France may trace back to Nazi wartime theft: Has a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin worth $10 million and stolen by the Nazis during World War II ...
dailysabah.com/arts/rare-violin-in-france-may-trace-back-to-nazi-wartime-theft/news
Precious instruments: Now we know where Stradivari got the wood for his violins: Special sound and worth millions: Musicians all over the world appreciate the ...
spiegel.de/wissenschaft/fleimstal-analysen-offenbaren-woher-stradivari-das-holz-fuer-seine-geigen-holte-a-2ee35e86-319d-474a-a3b9-73fe8a954b65
First of her kind Nashville luthier inspires historic collaboration with Black violinist
newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/davidson-county/first-of-her-kind-nashville-luthier-inspires-historic-collaboration-with-black-violinist
Nashville woman makes history as first recorded Black female violin maker in U.S.
newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/davidson-county/nashville-woman-makes-history-as-first-recorded-black-female-violin-maker-in-u-s
BVB tram destroys violin - | Violin maker repairs it: The violin of an expat living in the region was crushed in a number 8 tram: seemingly for good ...
bzbasel.ch/basel/basel-stadt/bvb-tram-zerstoert-geige-geigenbauer-repariert-sie-ld.4105222
Paid articlePaywall
A Baden-Baden violin maker works like the famous Stradivari: Ulrich Gleißner in Baden-Baden relies on craftsmanship rather than high-tech ...
bnn.de/mittelbaden/baden-baden/ein-baden-badener-geigenbauer-arbeitet-noch-so-wie-der-beruehmte-stradivari
Paid articlePaywall
Business is booming when others are traveling: Master Lampe from Hildesheim specializes in making people happy
hildesheimer-allgemeine.de/meldung/meister-lampe-arbeitet-wenn-andere-urlaub-machen-denn-der-hildesheim-ist-darauf-spezialisiert-menschen-gluecklich-zu-machen.html
gulftoday.ae Jul 31 25
Tuning for tomorrow: Malaysia’s first violin maker carves out a rare craft: Hunched over his workbench, Tan Chin Seng shaves the wooden top plate of a violin ...
gulftoday.ae/culture/2025/07/31/tuning-for-tomorrow-malaysias-first-violin-maker-carves-out-a-rare-craft
The new music school director is also a man of loud tones: The Rödermark music school has a new director: Michael Kaufmann is taking over from Benno Eckmann ...
op-online.de/region/roedermark/neuer-musikschulchef-ist-ein-mann-auch-der-lauten-toene-93303655.html
Next