Bence Holló began his musical studies at the age of five, when he began to learn the violin. After playing for more than ten years, he made his decision: the violin is a wonderful instrument, uniquely suitable for conveying feelings and expressing emotions, and it was around this ideal that he would base his career. At the age of 19 he became interested in violin making. In 1993, he received a diploma from the Instrument Making School of The Franz Liszt University of Music, Budapest, with the highest marks for this distinguished diploma from the Hungarian Instrument Makers’ Association. He then realized his passion for the profession. The beauty of the natural materials impressed him along with the refined techniques and methods of an almost 500-year-old craft.

    From 1994, he worked as an assistant to master Pál Sáránszky (1919-2000), the most respected Hungarian violin maker of his time. Besides violin making, which was a daily routine in the workshop, he had the possibility to set up and restore very fine instruments of Hungarian and Italian makers. He could thus enlarge his knowledge of instruments.

    From 1995 he went to study in Cremona (Italy) and received a diploma of the Antonio Stradivari International Violin Making School (IPIALL). He stayed in the center of European violin making for 2 years, attending workshops of Cremonese masters such as Giorgio Scolari and Fabio Volta.

    Bence has been making his own violins for almost 16 years. His clients are professional musicians. Several of his violins are being played in the Hungarian State Operahouse Orchestra, The Danubia Symphonic Orchestra and at the University of Music, Budapest. His violins are in high demand by musicians in the USA, Japan, Germany and Switzerland.

    In addition to being an active luthier, Bence Holló is a respected restorer and expert of string instruments.  He is also the founding president of the Hungarian Luthier Association, formed in 2006.