Born in Ourense, Spain, in 1969, Gonzalo Bayolo started to learn woodworking at a very early age from his father, continuing the family tradition. His passion for music as an amateur violin and guitar player led him to open his own violin-making and restoration workshop in Ferrol in 1995. A few years later, he moved to Padrón and gradually stopped doing restoration work in order to fully focus on violin-making. Initially self-taught, Gonzalo expanded his lutherie knowledge and skills through collaborations with other professionals and participating at makers’ gatherings like the Oberlin workshops.

He started to gain recognition as a maker in the early 2000s, winning silver medals in Mittenwald and Cleveland (V.S.A. Competition), bronze in Cremona (Triennale), and other awards at international events such as the Etienne Vatelot, Triennale, and Wieniawsky competitions. Gonzalo’s instruments are appreciated for their warm yet bright, balanced sound, as well as for their playability. He has been living in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, since 2016, where, apart from making violins, he tends to his vegetable garden and makes delicious beer.