Flaunting the title of Maestro Liutaio is a young American woman, Jamie Lazzara, who – despite a brilliant career as first a violinist, decided instead to devote herself to the construction of these delightful objects. After a diploma from the Luthiery school of Cremona, Jamie decided to move to Italy, and in 1987 opened a workshop in the heart of Florence. In 1993 the great soloist, Itzhak Perlman, ordered a “Lazzara” violin, which was constructed copying every last detail from the original 1714 Stradivarius. This set the seal on Jamie’s achievement, and for over 20 years now she has been expertly constructing violins and cellos using maple or spruce with inlays in ebony and ivory.