Karel Vávra

About

Karel Vávra was born in 1935 into the Vávra family, which has made violins without interruption since 1870 and is one of the most important violin making dynasties in Czech history. From 1950 he trained under his father Karel Vávra (1903–1973), a founding member of the Circle of Czech Master Violinmakers whose instruments were played by Jan Kubelík, Váša Příhoda and Josef Suk. He worked with his father until his death; in 1967 he moved the workshop to Lublaňská Street in Vinohrady, where it still is today.

He makes master violins and violas on Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù models – from rare wood, flamed Balkan maple and Šumava resonance spruce bought by his father in the 1930s – and restores instruments. He works with the Czech Museum of Music as an expert on the state collection of musical instruments. At the 1967 Poznań competition he received two diplomas, 1st prize and a gold medal for tone awarded by Italian violin makers.

He trained his son Tomáš, Jan Sokol and Vladimír Váňa. He has been a member of the Circle of Czech Master Violinmakers since its foundation and led it as chairman from 1989; today he is a member of its committee.