Violinmaker Sebastian Skarp is a internationally recognized expert, conaisseur and worldwide reknown authority on the 18th century Swedish violinmaker Johan Öhberg and his work. He has established an extraordinary international reputation as restorer and as a maker of new instruments. Sebastian Skarp is a leading expert in Scandinavia with a unique experience of restoring old high quality Italian instruments since more than 40 years. He has a unrivalled reputation as a maker of new fine violins in Sweden with international customers like Janine Jansen and Ulf Wallin. He is a lecturer on violinmaking in Stockholm in the 18th century and has given lectu-res to the internationally community of experts such as the EILA, Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers D´Art among others.
Sebastian Skarp has been a long time member of the EILA , a founding member and chairman of the Swedish Guild of violinmakers as well as a jurymember of the Royal Academy of Music.
Sebastian Skarp started his education at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under the guidance of the master violinmaker, appointed to the Royal Court, Mr Bengt Lindholm in 1979 and further on as a journeyman with Mr Roland Wiklund a long time member of the EILA. In 1983 he attended the International violinmaking school in Cremona until 1987. In 1992 he had the opportunity to work with a world leading expert and connoisseur, Mr Hieronymus Köstler in Stuttgart, Germany. After a short time he became responsible for major customers and instruments, and in the almost 6 years he spent working closely with Mr Köstler, he profited from the unique experience of restoring instruments made by the great classical Italian masters. Numerous fine examples of Stradivari, Guarneri Montagnana, Rogeri and Guadagnini to mention but a few, have passed through his hands.
Mr Skarp spent a great deal of time studying and making notes on historically important instruments. He did carry out highly skilled restoration work on many fine violins, violas and cellos, using the latest techniques in retouching and accoustics, and experimenting with many different methods. He also worked very closely with Mr Köstler with expertise on instruments. From this time onwards, as a result of this work and his position, Sebastian Skarp began to gain international recognition from wellknown colleagues and musicsians.
At the end of 1997 he returned to Stockholm and opened his own atelier in 1998 at the Nationalpalatset, Nalen. In 2002 he became a founder of the Guild of Swedish violinmakers. Mr Skarp has been a long time expert for the Chamber of Commerce and he is since 2017 a Jury member of the Royal Academy of Music.
