about.
Martin Erben (1979) started his violin making career in Mittenwald in 2001. His father Peter Erben (a renowned violin maker) inspired him to pursue this path. After completing his studies, Martin ventured into the workforce & served as an Ambulance Driver for a year.
From 2003 to 2007, Martin spent his time in Cremona refining his restoration skills under the guidance of Bruce Carlson from the firm 'Carlson and Neumann'. During these years, Martin helped Carlson carry out preservation work on instruments from the Cremonese makers of the 18th century. Martin was also involved in several exhibitions (i.e. I violoncelli di Antonio Stradivari, Opera omnia di Andrea Amati).
Between 2007 and 2011, Martin worked as the workshop manager of 'Marcel Richters' in Vienna. During his time at Richters, Martin was given the role of restorer/curator of instruments, for the Austrian National Bank (ÖNB). He also maintained and restored instruments for Heinrich Schiff, Julian Rachlin, Rainer Honeck, the Alban Berg Quartet, the Hagen Quartet, and all the major orchestras of Austria.
In 2011, Martin Erben took his master exam and took up the position as Head Restorer/Maker at the Erben Geigenbau.
Martin's responsibilities lie not only with restoration work, but equally with sound adjustment and setup work. His goal is to provide musicians with the right setup so they can express themselves without any opposing tension. He understands that conventional measurements do not always work with everyone, so together with the musician, Martin works to achieve the ideal setup, whilst keeping their instruments in a constructively healthy state.
Martin is the Head Luthier of the Erben Music Festival (Munich), and the Bay Area Musicians Society (San Jose).

Erben Music Festival
The Erben Music Festival Masterclasses is a masterclass designed for Artists and Artisans. At the Erben Geigenbau, we hold Lecture Nights where we promote some of today's important Artisans.
Artisans are crucial to the music industry, as they provide the musical vessel which artists use to express their music. They have trained hands and ears that can help extract the colors that the artists desire.
The Lecture Nights strive to showcase the intimate world of violin making through the eyes of makers, and as the Head Luthier of the Erben Music Festival Masterclasses, my goal is to invite my colleagues so they can share their invaluable knowledge, and their instruments with the students of our masterclasses.

workshop.
clients.

orchestras.
artists.
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Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
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BRSO
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Munich Chamber Orchestra
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Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
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New York Philharmonic
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London Symphony Orchestra
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London Philharmonic Orchestra
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Staatskapelle Dresden
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Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig
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RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
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Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
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Munich Radio Orchestra
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Hamburg Symphony Orchestra
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RSB Berlin
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Bavarian State Orchestra
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Boston Symphony Orchestra
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Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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Philadelphia Orchestra
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Cleveland Orchestra
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Christoph Poppen
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Julia Fischer
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Hariolf Schlichtig
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Maximillian Hornung
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Sarah Christian
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Jakob Spahn
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Ilya Gringolts
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Markus Wolf
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Nils Moenkemeyer
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Isabelle Van Keulen
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David Fruewirth
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Kirill Troussov
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Ye Eun Choi
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David Garrett
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Kirill Troussov
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Heon Woo Kim
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Schumann Quartett
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Julian Rachlin
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Patricia Kopatchinskaja
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Please note that this list is incomplete. If you would like to be placed on the list, please email us!


