Silvia Zanchi was born in Bergamo, Italy on August 27, 1981.
After obtaining the Artistic Maturity in the field of Conservation and Cataloging of Cultural Heritage (Liceo Artistico Statale, Bergamo) she dedicated herself to violin making by attending courses at the Civic School of Lutherie in Milan.
She graduated in 2004 with full marks in the construction of plucked musical instruments under the guidance of Masters Tiziano Rizzi, Lorenzo Lippi and Aldo Illotta.
In the following year she obtained the diploma of the specialization course in restoration of musical instruments under the guidance of Gabriele Negri, still achieving full marks. She collaborates with Maestro Lorenzo Frignani of Modena, with whom she spent a period of study on the construction techniques of plucked instruments, in particular the classical guitar.
She was a teacher of the Laboratory of construction of plucked instruments at the Civic School of Violin Making in Milan for the year 2006/2007; she is a teacher of pad-shellac coating at the same school; collaborates with IROR (Institute for Organological Research and Restoration); holds theoretical-practical seminars on pad painting.
He has published the series of three technical notebooks entitled “Gommalacca”, in collaboration with Claudio Canevari.
The results of the work were presented in Paris at the Cité de la Musique, at the International Conference “De la Peinture a chevalet àinstrument de musique: vernis, liants, coleurs” held on 6 and 7 March 2007; in Milan in a conference open to the public at the Civica Scuola di Liuteria (May 2007); at the Cremona Mondomusica 2007 show; in Parma at the Palazzetto Eucherio Sanvitale in the Ducal Garden, as part of the exhibition La Botanica della Musica, in a meeting entitled “Father Jamart’s secret. Shellac: insects, trees, musical instruments ”(May 9, 2008); at the Zeppilli Theater in Pieve di Cento, contributing with a speech to the Biennial National Conference of Lutherie entitled “The importance of publishing in the historical passage of experience” (13 September 2008);at the Cremona Mondomusica 2008 exhibition within the Conference “Paints in violin making”.
Silvia is dedicated to the construction and restoration of plucked musical instruments, in particular classical concert guitars and copies of historical originals. Alongside the construction activity, she carries out extensive research on the construction techniques of historical musical instruments and on shellac painting techniques.
Silvia is a wonderful person and lady of extraordinary talent, having studied and still collaborating with some of the great names of the region. Lorenzo Lippi and Lorenzo Frignani loom large on the Italian landscape of classical guitar builders.
Please see my Current Inventory of Silvia Zanchi classical guitars here
