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Grisales Lutherie is located in the heart of Cremona, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Torrazzo in Piazza del Duomo.
In our luthier workshop, we have the habit of keeping doors and windows wide open, allowing fresh winds from all over the world to pass through. Here, ancient traditions are breathed in, and new ideas circulate, blending together to create harmony.
Grisales Lutherie is a laboratory of curiosity, where luthiers and musicians come together to fulfill the shared desire for constant improvement and to achieve new goals together.
Established in 1990 by master luthier Giorgio Grisales, Grisales Lutherie produces a wide range of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. The workshop also offers instrument certification services for string instruments.
Today, in their workshop in Cremona, Giorgio Grisales is joined by his son Andrea and his nephew Ricardo. With over 30 years of experience, Grisales instruments are renowned and appreciated worldwide.
Master Violinmaker & Restorer
Master Violinmaker, Dealer & Expert
Violinmaker & Restorer
Born in Colombia in 1963, Giorgio Grisales moved to Cremona in 1982 to study the art of violin making, which has always fascinated him. In 1988, he graduated from the “Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria” in Cremona under the guidance of Maestro Giorgio Ce. He then attended a course organized by the “Regione Lombardia” and obtained a Diploma in Bow Making.
His professional training was completed in 1990 in Milan, where he obtained a diploma as a Conservator of Cultural Heritage in Violin Making from the “Scuola Civica di Liuteria.” In the same year, Giorgio opened his workshop in the center of Cremona, just a few steps from the Duomo, where he still works today, alongside his son Andrea and his nephew Ricardo.
After over 30 years of activity, his instruments are known and appreciated worldwide. His extensive production includes a wide range of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, and in the category of double basses, he was awarded the Silver Medal at the XI International Triennial Competition of String Instruments in Cremona.
In addition to appreciating the ancient Cremonese tradition of Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri, Giorgio has dedicated himself to the study of Milanese Violin Making of the 20th century. In particular, he has studied the lives and works of two great masters: Ferdinando Garimberti and Giuseppe Ornati, to whom he has dedicated respective publications.
Giorgio’s passion and experience have made him a professional in the world of antique instruments, offering expertise and certification services as an expert in string instruments.
In conclusion, Giorgio is a founding member of the “Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari” in Cremona, of which he has been the President since 2016. Since then, Giorgio has been representing and promoting the Cremonese consortium and the art of violin making at events, conferences, and performances held worldwide.
Born in Colombia in 1980, Ricardo moved to Italy in 2000, where he began learning the first techniques of violin making in his uncle Giorgio Grisales’ workshop in Cremona. He immediately demonstrated his talent and qualities as an excellent craftsman.
In 2003, he completed his studies and graduated from the International School of Violin Making in Parma, under the guidance of masters Elisa and Renato Scrollavezza, and the supervision of master Marco Piccinotti. This experience allowed Ricardo to interact with other master luthiers and learn another construction method, which was essential for expanding his knowledge of violin making and antique instruments.
Since then, Ricardo has been working in Cremona alongside his uncle, dedicating himself to the construction of classical Cremonese instruments, but above all to the study and restoration of antique instruments. In recent years, Ricardo has specialized in the study of the cello, restoring several 20th-century Italian instruments.
Born into a family of artists, Andrea was born in Cremona in 1996 and showed a natural passion for drawing and craftsmanship from an early age. He spent his childhood in his father’s and maternal grandfather’s workshop, surrounded by pencils and chisels. His maternal grandfather was the luthier Carlo Corsini.
In 2015, Andrea graduated from the “Liceo Artistico Bruno Munari” in Cremona, where he developed a passion for drawing, a subject he decided to pursue further. He obtained a degree in product design from the “Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design” in Turin in 2018.
After gaining valuable experiences in prestigious companies, where Andrea had the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant creative minds and work with the most modern production technologies, he decided to return to Cremona to apply his acquired experiences in violin making.
Today, he devotes himself to the family workshop, where he, together with Giorgio and Ricardo, builds modern instruments and studies music, restoration techniques, and the history of violin making. The fantastic combination of family experience and studies in applied art drives him to approach violin making with a modern perspective that celebrates history and tradition while keeping an eye on the future horizon.
Giorgio Grisales has published two books dedicated to the life and works of Ferdinando Garimberti and Giuseppe Ornati, highly esteemed violin makers in the late 20th-century Italian scene. Even today, in the workshop, we often flip through these books to find inspiration in the creation of our instruments.
The two violin makers, often regarded as rivals, were actually bound by a strong friendship and ended up influencing each other. They both made significant contributions to the growth and educational development of the International School of Violin Making in Cremona, leaving a lasting impact on the city.
For this publication, 25 instruments including violins, violas, and cellos were collected and documented, creating a comprehensive catalog of the works and methods of the Milanese master. The book delves into the life and craftsmanship of the maestro, providing insights into both the personal and professional aspects of his career.
For this publication, 27 instruments including violins, violas, and cellos were collected and documented. This volume is a companion to the first book published by Giorgio Grisales on Ferdinando Garimberti, a contemporary of Ornati and often referred to as his rival.
LA GALLERIA ARMONICA DI GRISALES JORGE HUMBERTO – P.IVA 00970470191
