Itzel Ávila is a Mexican-Canadian violin maker based in Toronto, Canada.

She graduated with honours in violin performance from the UNAM and holds a Master’s degree in the same discipline from the University of Montreal.

Still a teenager, she made her first violin in Mexico. Years later, she started working in professional workshops in Montreal while completing her master’s degree, and further perfected her skills in Cremona, Italy, and San Francisco, United States, under the supervision of Francis Kuttner, and, back in Montreal, with Michèle Ashley.

She is an active participant of the annual Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop, and has exhibited her work in Italy, Belgium, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and the United States.

Past President of The Canadian Association of Violin and Bow Makers from 2020 to 2022 and right after, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the VSA, coordinating in 2023 and 2024 The New Instrument Exhibit.

She was awarded the Ontario Arts Council grant “Skills and Development” grant (2023-2025).

Her instruments are characterized by an ergonomic and comfortable playability, reliable responsiveness, mature and powerful sound.