From Forest To Stage...

We believe there are not many workshop instruments on the market that can truly be traced from the Forest to The Stage.

The Story of Brazenose Violins
For nearly seven years, we have been trading in instruments of the string quartet family in our small but vibrant shop in the heart of Stamford, we were constantly being asked for new violins and cellos in a price range that is scarce and difficult to source. We also have noticed that our customers care about where things are made. Our Brazenose Violins are the result of three years of work, experimentation, research and testing, and we bring to the market a fully mature product which delivers what our customers have been asking for but finding scarce. 

Why Brazenose?
The name Brazenose Violins comes from our founding shop, Stamford Strings, which was on St Leonard's Street in Stamford. Just down the road is Brazenose Lane and Brazenose Gate. The University of Stamford was an academic institution founded in 1333 in Stamford, Lincolnshire, by a group of students and tutors from the University of Oxford, including Merton College and Brazenose Hall. 

After lobbying by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, King Edward III suppressed the institution in 1335 and the tutors and scholars were returned to Oxford. All Oxford graduates until the 1820s were required to take an oath not to lecture in Stamford. 

We love the element of disrupting the status quo in the story and rebelling against the institution to create a purer form of scholarship. This is reflected in our ideals. 

About the Instruments
Not only are our instruments handmade but the wood they are made from is fully traceable, properly seasoned tone wood and maple, and all comes from forests in the region in which they made. Each one is made to our specification, monitored and overseen by us, and then shipped to the UK for finishing, varnishing and setting up in our workshop in Stamford. All instruments are finely tuned to the highest standards using only the best fittings and set up by fully qualified luthiers with decades of experience between them. 

The instruments come in several grades, and the price point for all of these grades fits between the top end student instruments and individually crafted instruments by artisan makers in the UK and Europe. Brazenose provides high quality instruments for players who want something better than the top end of the student market but whose budget does not stretch to the artisan handmade instruments. We are excited that what we have achieved far exceeds our original aims.

About our Founder, Libby Summers
Our founder Libby Summers, prior to retraining as a violin maker, had 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur bringing products to market in an entirely different sector – handknits both for retailers and for knitters. She supplied handknits to John Lewis and to the very first subscription knitting company in the US, as well as being invited to write books and articles for may high profile publications. This experience has given her a useful angle on the violin trade, coming at it with a fresh perspective and with experience that has helped her forge the new business.

Libby is also a trained violin teacher, and taught part time for 20 years.

Handmade with Care and Attention to Detail
We have worked tirelessly for several years to make this dream a reality and to bring you the finest affordable workshop instruments from a collaboration between our European workshop where the wood is harvested, and our Stamford workshop, where the instruments are set up and tested by local musicians.

​We are proud of our instruments and we are excited to bring them to you to try. We hope you love them as much as we do!