Prominent British Luthier Neil Kristof Értz has Passed Away

British string instrument maker, restorer and teacher Neil Kristof Értz has died - aged just 50

British string instrument maker, restorer and teacher Neil Kristof Értz has died, aged just 50 - from a ruptured aneurysm.

A graduate of the Newark School of Violin Making, he was a former 1st prize winner at the inaugural Querétaro International Violin Making Competition.

Neil began his career in the workshops of a number of prominent European luthiers, including Geigenbau Machold and Roger Hargrave, before going on to open his own workshops in Cambridge, England and Edinburgh, Scotland.

"He left us today peacefully, surrounded by his family," a spokesperson for the family has told The Violin Channel.

Our condolences are with Neil's family, friends, students and colleagues.