Spring 2026 - Violin repairs in the Philippines with LSF-UK
Violins are played in many places in the world, but access to training for violin and bow repairers is not necessarily going with it.
Luthiers Sans Frontières-UK (Violin Makers without Borders-UK) is a charity that provides free training missions in countries where such training is inadequate or not existent.
In February an LSF-UK trip took place to the Jose Depiro Formation Centre in Bataan province on Luzon in the northern Philippines. This centre offers valuable life skills and musical training and -participation to the young people of the community. It is established and run by Father Joseph Cremona of the Missionary Society of St Paul, and home to a very impressive youth orchestra.
In 2018 the Jose Depiro Centre set up a workshop to look after their instruments, and LSF-UK sent two violin makers to help with training. The workshop did well and another training mission followed in 2022. This year 2026 a third training session happened. The workshop is now also taking on work from outside the centre. This is a considerable feat, seeing that it is run by young people who are also studying, teaching their younger peers and being involved in many other community activities.
I feel lucky to have been part of this trip, together with Rob Cain, and enjoyed getting to know the Centre's two violin repairers Aaron Platin and Gigoi Manuel. I think I probably learnt more than I explained. In the pictures above you see Aaron, Gigoi and Rob working on a violin that needed its ribs and back replacing. The original ribs and back were eaten away by termites. Below you see Gigoi cutting a viola bridge, Aaron and Rob doing bow rehairs and a retouching demo in progress.
Luthiers Sans Frontières-UK (Violin Makers without Borders-UK) is a charity that provides free training missions in countries where such training is inadequate or not existent.
In February an LSF-UK trip took place to the Jose Depiro Formation Centre in Bataan province on Luzon in the northern Philippines. This centre offers valuable life skills and musical training and -participation to the young people of the community. It is established and run by Father Joseph Cremona of the Missionary Society of St Paul, and home to a very impressive youth orchestra.
In 2018 the Jose Depiro Centre set up a workshop to look after their instruments, and LSF-UK sent two violin makers to help with training. The workshop did well and another training mission followed in 2022. This year 2026 a third training session happened. The workshop is now also taking on work from outside the centre. This is a considerable feat, seeing that it is run by young people who are also studying, teaching their younger peers and being involved in many other community activities.
I feel lucky to have been part of this trip, together with Rob Cain, and enjoyed getting to know the Centre's two violin repairers Aaron Platin and Gigoi Manuel. I think I probably learnt more than I explained. In the pictures above you see Aaron, Gigoi and Rob working on a violin that needed its ribs and back replacing. The original ribs and back were eaten away by termites. Below you see Gigoi cutting a viola bridge, Aaron and Rob doing bow rehairs and a retouching demo in progress.
For more information on LSF-UK click here, the Facebook page of the Jose Depiro Centre for Arts here and the Kabataan Orkestra here.
With many thanks to Aaron and Gigoi, Rob Cain, LSF-UK, Father Joe Cremona and the Jose Depiro Centre community.
With many thanks to Aaron and Gigoi, Rob Cain, LSF-UK, Father Joe Cremona and the Jose Depiro Centre community.