Violin Making in the Philippines - Amador Tamayo

I have mentioned my friend and colleague Amador Tamayo in Musicfest 2012 and PWU School of Music Performance Program as a cello mentor to our younger generation of talented cellists.

Amador has appeared as soloist with the Philippine Youth Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra and Manila Chamber Orchestra while serving as principal cellist for these orchestras. An avid chamber musician, he has performed two Beethoven Cello Sonatas with pianist Charito Pizzaro and collaborated with esteemed Filipino violinist, Gilopez Kabayao and his pianist wife, Corazon, in performances and a recording of Schubert Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major.

He was a music student at the University of the Philippines, College of Music but eventually finished a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. As fate would have it, under the auspices of the Goethe Institut he was awarded a scholarship to study violin making in Germany. From 1978-1982 he worked as an apprentice to Hubert Schnorr in Hamburg supplemented by studies at Mittenwald School of Violin Making.

Let's visit his shop in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range outside of Metro Manila where...

...he is assisted by three associates.

Due to our tropical climate, a temperature and humidity controlled environment is essential for storing wood and varnishing instruments.

Production figures since 1981 total to an estimated 140 violins, 20 violas and 20 cellos. Most of these instruments are played by Filipino musicians but a few have also made it abroad: Australia - 3 cellos, Canada - 3 violins, Germany - 4 violins, 2 violas + 1 cello. Singapore - 2 cellos, Taiwan - 2 violins + 2 cellos, USA - 6 violins + 1 cello and Vietnam - 1 cello. With more commissions and repair waiting, the shop is kept busy...

Amador doing routine maintenance on my old Italian mistress, a copy of which is in his long term project list ;)

Tamayo violin ca. 2007

Tamayo cello 2011