Lorraine Bitaud Violins

Maker & Restorer of fine violins, violas cellos.

      I was born in France in 1986.
    Both a musician and from a family of wood workers, I was drawn to violin making from an early age. On deciding to become a violin maker, I left France and came to England to study at the renowned Newark School of Violin Making in 2006.
    I fell in love with the restoration of old instruments very quickly and directed my studies accordingly, specializing in restoration during my last 2 years at college.

    I graduated in 2010 and since then I have worked for major restoration workshops in London and elsewhere in the UK where I have been able to perfect my skills and knowledge of violins, violas and cellos.
    I have had the chance to work on wonderful instruments by the greatest makers. From B. Norman , J.B. Vuillaume, to N. Amati…
    Although I specialise in large scale restoration, I also undertake smaller repairs, mantenance work and tonal adjustment.

     All work is carried out to the highest standard.

Restoration

      Specialising in the restoration of antique instruments, I have worked on many instruments by great makers :   Barak Norman,   B. Banks, The Voller Brothers, V. Panormo, J.B. Vuillaume, N. Gagliano, C.F. Landolfi, C.Camilli, F. Ruggieri, J.B. Rogeri, A. Guarneri,  N. Amati… 
      Although I specialise in large restorations, I undertake both repair and restoration, always keeping in mind the ethics of my profession : being as unintrusive as possible and respecting the intent of the maker whilst keeping the musician in mind.
       For many years I have also been setting up instruments both for amateurs and for professional players, taking great care that each instrument is at the best of its tonal qualities and playability.


New Instruments

    I continue making alongside restoration, and always have a project on the go.
 
     Over the years, I have been specialising in cellos, intrument that I always loved.
      My output is small but do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to know when my next cello is going to be available.

Testimonials

“Lorraine did a great job repairing a crack along the bass bar of my cello which required hours of meticulous work, especially over the varnish.

Highly to be recommended!”

Vincent Hunt

Cellist & Teacher

   “Lorraine worked on my violin after it had suffered a knock that caused a crack to appear down the belly of the instrument. Not only was she able to give me an accurate quote on costs and the time she would need to repair it there and then, she also understood how important to me it was to get my instrument repaired and back to work with me as quickly as possible.

     Lorraine treated my violin with great care and kept in touch with me throughout the process, understanding how much I treasure my instrument. With my blessing she took the opportunity while it was in her workshop to repair a few other things that also needed some attention such as the corner blocks, some joins that needed gluing, and she fitted a new bridge and soundpost for the instrument, all to a very high standard.

    When I came to pick up my instrument, the crack had been repaired expertly, the instrument had been set up with great attention to detail to get the best results from the sound. It felt strong, clean, clear and secure under my hands, and it looked so nice! After playing my violin in the workshop I realised that nothing would need to be adjusted as she had already put everything in place for it to respond to my playing perfectly and it simply sounded better than ever.”

Ruth Elder

Freelance violininst

“Lorraine is a miracle worker — she can remove blemishes that have all the appearance of being permanent and do repairs that are invisible to the naked eye.

And if she has had to take your instrument apart in order to repair it, it will almost certainly sound better when you get it back.”

                                 Oliver Ticciati

                                Cellist

Contact

The Workshop is open by appointment only, drop us a message, a text or simply phone.


 Address
: 1A East Churchfield road, London, W3 7LL, UK         
               Phone : 07 449 812 166
 
My premises are very accessible, just next to Acton Central station (overground).
It can also be reached from the tube station in Acton Town (Piccadilly line) followed by a 5 minutes ride in the E3/70 Bus,
or from East Acton station (Central line) followed by 5minutes in the 70 Bus.