European tradition

A native of Amos, in the Abitibi region of Québec, Canada, André Lavoye developed an early interest in science and studied aeronautics before beginning his career as a luthier in Montréal in 1980. A grant from the Canada Council for the Arts enabled him to pursue his training and from 1988 he worked in Paris, in the workshop of Serge and Frédéric Boyer. There, he met Jean-François Raffin, from whom he learned the trade of bowmaking in the early 1990s. He continued working as a luthier in various Parisian workshops, including that of Jérôme Dariel. He later worked in Hong Kong with Sandra Wagstaff and in Brussels for La Maison Bernard alongside Jan Strick.

Teaching and passing on the tradition

On his return to Canada in 1994, André Lavoye taught at Québec City’s École de lutherie artistique du Noroît (now École nationale de lutherie). He later settled in Montréal and worked as a luthier and archetier for Wilder & Davis Luthiers, until July 2024, satisfying the needs of musicians for re-hairs, repairs, setups, and so on. In 1999, he opened his own workshop and began producing bows, violins and violas.

Member of:

American Federation of Violin and Bow-Maker

Violin Society of America

Modern Makers Forum