Official Luthiers

We are pleased to host our collaborating medieval musical instrument makers who have developed instruments with our faculty and supply instruments for use in the course.

Official makers of the course:

• Gonzalo Pieters
• Walter Chinaglia
• Asier de Benito
• Pedro Manceras Hernandez

Gonzalo Pieters

Gonzalo Pieters studied at the prestigious Cremonese luthiers’ shop of Lucia Valli and Matias Herrera. From the beginning Gonzalo was interested in the construction of historical bowed and plucked stringed instruments. Gonzalo has been Professor of musical instrument construction at the Academic Center of the State Foundation for the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela. In Barcelona he has cooperated with the musician and luthier Sergi Casademunt in building violas da gamba, and with the musicologist Mauricio Molina in the research and reconstruction of instruments of Romanesque and Gothic periods. His work is based on the study of archaeological specimens, the analysis and interpretation of iconographic and literary sources of the period, and a hand-to-hand work with specialized performers. Since 2012 Gonzalo collaborates with the International Course on Medieval Music Performance of Besalú as its official luthier.

Walter Chinaglia

Walter Chinaglia is considered one of the major experts in medieval organ building in Europe. He drafts, designs, builds and restores these types of instruments utilizing historical materials and techniques. Constant research and close cooperation with musicians are his fundamental building principles. Each of his instruments originates from an accurate project, studied down to the last details. His instruments have found warm welcome all over Europe both for their sound and technical qualities. Some of the music ensembles that use his instruments are: Tasto Solo, Magister Petrus, Capella Bambergensis, Camerata Aboensis, In Illo Tempore, Laterna Magica, ArtePsalentes, Artefactum, and La Reverdie. Walter has been also assistant-professor of “historical temperaments and tuning techniques” at the Conservatorio of Como, and at the Centro studi A. Broegg of Spello. 

Asier de Benito

Asier de Benito began making instruments by himself, and later entered the Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga Music School of Bilbao to study Artisan Bowed Instruments Making. He studied lutherie with master luthier Javier Guraya, and physical acoustics with masters Jesús Alonso and Unai Igartua. He also studied both modern and historic bow making with archetiers Frédéric Becker and André Alegre, respectively. He was a student in several courses on early instrument making taught by master Jesús Reolid. As a teacher, he taught courses on medieval instrument making in several editions of the Curs de Música Antiga de Guadassuar (Valencia), in Academia Europea de alta especialización en Música Antigua de Xàtiva (Valencia), as well as in private courses. Nowadays he works in his workshop in Bétera (Valencia), focused on organological research, historical instrument making, and original instrument restoration.

Pedro Manceras

Trabaja desde muy joven en taller de ebanistería. En el año 1987 monta su propio taller, realizando trabajos de ebanista y torneado en madera. En el año 1997 realiza trabajos de maestro taller en la formación de oficios. Y en los años posteriores y hasta la actualidad, se dedica a la realización de instrumentos de percusión con su sello Decuencos Percusión y DC Drums.