Luthier Patrick Robin has Died, Aged 69

Robin won some of the most notable awards for lutherie and was made a Maître d’Art by the French Ministry of Culture

The prominent luthier Patrick Robin, who established a popular workshop on the Loire River in France in 2006, has passed away at the age of 69, following an illness.

Robin studied at the Newark School of Violin Making and graduated in 1984 as the recipient of the Royal Oakden Cup for outstanding achievements. His first post was in Bremen, Germany, where he was part of an international team of restorers working under Roger Hargrave.

During his tenure in Bremen, Robin studied and restored some of the finest Italian instruments available. He then relocated to Angers in 1988, where he shared a workshop with the renowned Danish-British luthier Andrea Frandsen.

Robin received a number of distinctions for his work, including two Gold Medals for violin and cello together with le Prix de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts and le Prix de la Fondation Marcel Vatelot at the 1st International Violin Making Competition of Paris. He also received Gold Medals for a viola at the Mittenwald Competition in 1989 and for a cello at the Manchester Strad Cello Making Competition in 1994. He has also served on the juries of a number of international violin-making competitions.

Robin was honored with the distinction of Maître d’Art by the French Ministry of Culture in 2000.

"It is with deep sadness that I received the news today of the passing of my dear teacher, Patrick Robin," said Robin's student, Shehada Shelalda. "He was a wonderful violin maker from whom I learned so much about the world of violin making. I am deeply saddened by his passing. I will miss him greatly. He was a father and a teacher to me. I trained at his workshop in Angers, France, in 2014 in collaboration with the Kamandjati Foundation. He also visited Palestine. He was a truly kind man."