What is your earliest memory of making violins?
Apostol: I must have been 4 or 5 years old, when my father won the first luthier competition in Bulgaria. At the final concert the internationally renowned violin player Nedyalka Simeonova played my father’s violin and this was the moment when I started dreaming of becoming a luthier myself.
Is it a challenge to carry forward a family legacy?
Ivan: I feel challenged by the responsibility I carry. The times are different, but I prefer to rely on the knowledge and attitude of my grandfather and my father, in order to be of service to music.
Ivo Hadjimishev©Victor Troyanov
How do you work as a team of father and son?
Apostol: I have always been a fortunate son and now I’m lucky, that my own son has inherited the family tradition, our collective experience, knowledge and professional secrets. All of these continue to develop in his craft.
Which wood do you use for your instruments?
Ivan: The instruments are made of maple and spruce. By a happy coincidence some of the best wood comes from the Balkans. The most important for the material is that it has grown at high altitude, in a dense forest. Well dried wood is a prerequisite for good acoustics.