About myself

...forst of all, I am a doublebassist. I’ve worked as a professional musician for many years, as much in classical music, playing in various Brazilian orchestras, as well as accompanying singers and songwriters of Brazilian popular music. I perform regularly with Leoni and Daniel Lopes.

After which, naturally, I am a luthier. Obviously, specializing in the contrabass, which I think is appropriate. Since the beginning of my musical studies I’ve had a great interest in the art of luthiery. Before choosing to become a professional musician, I studied “fine arts”, intending to become a sculptor and illustrator, at the “Istituto Statale d'Arte per la Ceramica di Faenza”. Naturally, these studies gave me a very solid foundation from which to embark on my studies of luthiery.

My first professor, master and guru of luthiery, was Sandrino Santoro, who is something like the Brazilian “Thomas Martin”. A brilliant bassist, a pioneering orchestral instructor and practitioner, soloist and first chair at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro for thirty years, and exceptionally “curious about luthiery” as he likes to call himself. He gave me all of the basics regarding restorations and repairs, and thanks to that I was able to begin my work. Through his influence, I was able to meet and befriend many colleagues, of who stand out Paulo Ramos, an excellent luthier from Bragança Paulista (SP) and Nilton de Camargo, an extraordinary artist and maestro of luthiery, of the Cremonese school.

As far as I know, I am the first luthier (and also the first musician) in my family. Despite not having been born into the trade in the strictest sense I am proud to be the descendant of a family of artisans. My grandfather Arnaldo Spada was trained by his father Bruno as a blacksmith, and in the use of the hand forge, using a medieval technique, and is considered to be the last one to have exercised this more traditional type of ironworking. Today a replica of his shop stands in the “Museo del Lavoro Contadino” in Brisighella (Italy); the same shop in which I grew up and had my first contact with hard work, guided by the great love and wisdom of a small giant.