From Tata to Cremona on the wings of a Musical Soul

When looking at an instrument built by M° Stefano Conia, and more when hearing its sound, we are struck by the sheer harmony of its lines and the soft completeness of its music.

In spite of his young age, the quality of his work is very high, a level many builders don't ever reach even after long experience.

A so profound and clear concept in building instruments on Stefano's part is to be justified by two main factors: his very own talents and his ancestors.

Stefano Conia was born on January 4, 1973 in Cremona (world's violin capital city).

Since when he was a little child he found himself surrounded, thanks to his father Stefano Conia jr, world-renowned luthier, by the magical lutherie world.
Little Stefano spends a lot of his infancy in the father's workshop, admiringly observing his father at work, playing with tools, touching woods as he wanted to understand their hidden secrets. As a young boy Stefano decides his life will be intermingled to the luthier work forever and, being too young to be allowed to really use the tools of the trade, decides to explore the violin's fascination learning to play it.
His first violin teacher is his father's young student, violinist and luthier which today is a friend and colleague, Marcello Villa, who teaches him the first elements of violin playing.

Afterwards, thanks to his father's work, he gets in contact with many excellent musicians ( Emanuel Hurvitz, M. Nicolescu, ecc.) who will allow him to acquire a good violin ttechnique and above all to refine his concept of sound

The link which connects the Conia family to lutherie starts from very far, both in space and in time.

The first family component to perform this very difficult art, to be a violin builder, is not in fact Stefano's father, but the grandfather, Istvan Konya; he was an exceptional man, who after a difficult life, aged 44, left from Hungary's city Tata to go to Cremona and follow the dream of his passion: to build Violins.

From left: Stefano Conia, Stefano Conia "il Giovane", Istvan Konya "Senior", Eva Conia

Varnishing his first instrument together with his father
It's in Tata, Hungary, where Stefano, under his grandfather supervision, builds during summer 1987, aged only fourteen, his first three-quarter violin, which will be afterwards varnished in Cremona, in the father's workshop.
1987 is also the year in which Stefano decides, encouraged by his grandfather who had noticed in him promising capabilities, to start attending the International Lutherie School in Cremona. Young Stefano is unstoppable and beyond the normal school engagement he is able to start using the father's workshop to privately build instruments.
During these incredibly productive years, Stefano, helped by M° Giorgio Scolari -his teacher- and by his father, builds his first model Stradivari violin, two altos, two cellos and one pochette, which will be worth a "W.Stauffer" Foundation scholarship for his brilliant prowess and engagement.

He presents his works in some international competitions, as Cremona's Triennale, Bagnacavallo and Baveno, achieving numerous acknowledgements and prizes.

After diplomating with flying colors in 1991, just eighteen he starts his professional career working in his father's workshop, who commissions him his first works. In this period young Stefano reaches a grat technical level and gradually moves away from his father's style, to start researching about his own. Now he tries to explore the work of his future colleague, M° Marcello Villa, whom Stefano feels philosophically more similar.

  

The military service makes a parenthesis after which the young Conia gets back to Cremona, and starts his proper professional career.

Maestro Stefano Conia "il Giovane" in his workshop

To develop his style more freely Stefano leaves his father's workshop and moves together with the friend Marcello Villa in a beautiful 15th Century Cremonese building at 13, Via San Giuseppe, just near Cremona's Duomo. His continuous research about harmony of lines brings him to stabilize mainly on two Stradivarian models, the

Dickson-Poynde 1703 and the Theonville 1698, completing them with a scroll model Sunrise 1696. But his work doesn't stop to a faithful reproduction, but he personalises the lines and taste. A great part of his production is moreover devoted to ancient instrument reproduction, and this will allow him to refine and enlarge his aesthetical horizons.

Maestro Conia's instruments have reached a very high level, the woods used are exceptional, selected thanks to his uncommon skill; the shapes have now morphed into sinuous armonic masterpieces, and the sound is indeed surprising.

M°Conia instruments' sound is different from the classic 'brand new', given the smoothness, purity of tone and power delivered.

Since more than fifteen years Stefano Conia works as a professional and his promise is now a noteworthy reality. His violins are at work all over the planet and many musicians of great value appreciate their fine qualities.

 

Stefano Conia 'Il Giovane" (Stefano Konya)

Stefano Conia (Istvan Konya)

Istvan Konya "Senior"