Stefan-Peter Greiner began playing the violin at the age of 10, with 14 he had built his first violin. His training in Bonn was completed in 1995 with a mastership examination. Parallel to his education as a violin maker Peter studied musicology, art history and phonetics at the University of Cologne. Through his studies he met the physicist Heinrich Dünnwald, with whom he acoustically examined more than 1,000 violins. In addition, they performed the first computer tomography on a Stradivari violin worldwide, did research on the acoustical influence of different sound woods and analyzed the main components of Cremonese varnish as used by Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri. Their goal was to decrypt the myth of the old Italian violins and make this knowledge available for modern violin making. For his work, Stefan-Peter Greiner received the Rheingau Music Prize in 2003.

 

Peter moved his workshop from Bonn to London in 2013, where he collaborates with renowned experts and auction houses. Aside from his work as a violin maker, Peter Greiner became director of W. E. Hill & Sons, London.

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Through his scientific approach to violin making, Peter uses modern techniques such as frequency analysis, dendrochronology of spruce, computer tomography and 3D scanning of the instruments as well as various spectroscopy methods to analyze varnish.

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In his work, Peter follows the principles of synesthesia, seeking to bring the acoustic and visual qualities of an instrument into harmonious dialogue. He is guided by the belief that every maker brings a unique sensibility to their craft, and that an instrument gains its deepest character when it reflects the individuality of its creator. He believes deeply in the necessity of self-expression, and merely copying the old masters cannot satisfy his artistic vision. For him, instrument making is a lifelong journey of self reflection, an instrument becomes a true work of art when sound, form, and personal expression come together in a single, coherent voice.

 

Artists such as Kyung Wha Chung, Ning Feng, Ivri Gitlis, Frans Helmerson, Kim Kashkashian, Leonidas Kavakos, Bruno Monsaingeon, Igor Ozim, Hyeyoon Park, Christian Tetzlaff, Antje Weithaas and as well as musicians from renowned ensembles e.g. Alban Berg, Hagen, Kuss, Parker, Mandelring Quartets and numerous concertmasters perform on his instruments. Various international instrument foundations and private sponsors have purchased Greiner instruments and lend them to young promising musicians.

 

To date, over 200 CDs have been released, recorded on instruments by Stefan-Peter Greiner.

 

Peter’s instruments achieve top prices at auctions. In 2014, one of his violins was purchased for $95,920 at an auction in New York.

 

Since 2020, Stefan Peter Greiner has moved his residence to Switzerland and commutes between his two workshops in Zürich and London.

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