More than a dozen violin makers call this city in southern France their home

By Christina Rebuffet-Broadus posted September 2011

Next to the Aux Notes d’Orphée music shop and just opposite the Académie Internationale de Musique de Montpellier, a simple beige sign reads “Luthier” in black letters. Not many violin makers in Montpellier are so flamboyant. When I ease the door open, I’m greeted by the strong scent of varnish and the sound of Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor pouring out of a pair of computer speakers. Yann Poulain stands at his workbench and antiques a cello. Poulain, in his early 30s, may be one of Montpellier’s youngest violin makers, having graduated from the Newark School of Violin Making in 2001.

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Sources: http://www.allthingsstrings.com/layout/set/print/Instruments/BRANDS-MAKERS2/Shop-Visit-Montpellier

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