Otto Vowinkel

Guitar maker Amsterdam

models

Emil Hadžiefendić

This is Emil Hadžiefendić, a young, gifted guitarist from Tuzla. Like most succesfull guitarists from Bosnia Herzegovina, he is a student of the well known teacher Predrag Stanković about whom I wrote earlier.

Predrag Stanković started a Guitar Summer School with the unpronounceable name PRST.  His former students Denis Azabagic and Sanel Redžić are also teaching at the PRST.

In the video below Emil is playing La Serenor, the first part of Collectici Intim by the Spanish composer Vicente Asencio. The video is an excerpt of a reportage about the festival by Ljetni Magazin. The reportage (in Serbo Croation) can be found here.

This Summer Emil took part in the Solo Guitar competition of the Transilvania Guitar Association and won the first prize! More information , again for the ones who read Serbo Croation can be found on Tuzlarije.

Emil Hadžiefendić plays a spruce concert model.

Taiwan Guitar Seminar

esther steenbergen solo

This is Esther during her concert in Taiwan.  She was invited by the Taiwan Guitar Seminar to play a solo concert and accepted the kind invitation of Michael Luo and Alfredo Huang.  She is preparing a sequel to her Bach cd so she decided to play Bach a.o.

Since playing solo is not her favorite thing to do,  she asked the organization if she could add some chamber music to the program and that’s how the cooperation with mezzo-soprano Cheng, Hai-Yun and violinist Tsai Tsung-Yen started (see video below). 

Workshop

I too was invited,  to give a lecture and do some workshops. I talked about my way of working and I taught guitarists how to take care of their instruments and how to do some small repairments themselves.

Malaysian guitarist Hong Tee checking the frets of her guitar.
Malaysian guitarist Hong Tee checking the frets of her guitar.
Taiwan Guitar Seminar 2018



Cyprus Guitar Festival

mustafa elmas- can belgili

Last year Mustafa Elmas and Can Belgeli came to my workshop to buy two of my 2A models. The guitars were meant for guitar students in Cyprus where there happens to be an active guitar community.

Mustafa, Can and the Academic Members of Near East University, Dr. Erkan Sülün and Ünal Dede are playing a leading role in this community. Together they organize a guitar festival to which Esther and I were invited.

There were lectures, concerts and masterclasses.

Ozan Saritepe (photo Emre Ünlenen)

 

Zoran Dukic Guitar
Zoran Dukic (photo Emre Ünlenen)

 

2nd international cyprus guitar festival team
Erkan Sülün (most left) and Ünal Dede (most right) with their team members : Arda Özsegkin, Neriman Soykunt and Murat Alihan. (photo: Facebook)

And there was a boat ride hosted by Ünal Dede who, besides being a guitar professor, is also a renowned sailing instructor.

Zoran Dukic Sailor
Zoran Dukic after his concert

 

 

Matthijs van Delft

Matthijs van Delft - werkplaats otto vowinkel

This is Matthijs van Delft, a young, Dutch guitarist, studying at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag with Fernando Cordas  in his Young Talent Class. Matthijs came to the workshop together with his father to buy a new guitar. Less than a month later he sent me an email, telling me that he is very happy with his guitar and won the junior competition of the Antwerpen Guitar Festival as well as the Leo Brouwer prize!

Well done Matthijs!! Congratulations!

matthijs van delft
Matthijs van Delft (photo Antwerp Guitar Festival)

Matthijs_van_Delft_wint_GitaarConcours
Jan Depreter, Matthijs van Delft, Fernando Cordas , Izhar Elias (Foto KonCon)

Billy Chi

billy chi how to play in 60 seconds

This still shows the hand of Billy Chi, a versatile, American based guitarist who owns a popular YouTube Channel where he uploads instructional video’s.

In the video from which the still was taken Billy Chi teaches you in 60 seconds how to play Despacito from Luis Fonsi. To be honest I had never heard of Luis Fonsi but I noticed that Billy Chi plays on a guitar made by me.

But for the ones interested in playing Despacito, herewith Billy’s instructions as well as the original version.

Nelson Faria #2

nelson faria

 

This is Nelson Faria discussing his Otto Vowinkel in Fica a Dica, (this is a tip). Nelson Faria is a great Brazilian guitarist whom I wrote about earlier.

What a pleasant surprise it was when I opened the link Swedish guitarist Kristoffer Skoog sent me. I found this episode of Fica a Dica in which Nelson talks only positive words about his 2A model, Flamenco.

Fica a dica is part of Um cafe la em casa, the internet show in which Nelson discusses and plays music with colleagues and friends. A must see for all guitarists who want to play Brazilian music.

Galerie des Luthiers

This is Maurice Freton from Galerie des Luthiers in Lyon, France.

Esther and I only knew the city Lyon from passing it on our way southwards. Last time we decided to make a stop and pay it a visit, something we should have done a long time before. Lyon is a beautiful place, full of nice people and fantastic restaurants!

We  went to see Galerie des Luthiers, a guitar shop specialized in classical guitars, run by Alice and Maurice Freton. That particular day Alice was out of town, but her father Maurice welcomed us with great enthusiasm.

Next week Galerie des Luthiers will have two guitars of mine in stock: a 2A and a 3A model.

Krisna and Prawira Pijloo

krisna_en_prawira pijloo

These are Krisna and Prawira Pijloo after having performed Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve in Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Both Krisna and Prawira play the guitar from an early age and both want to become professional guitarists.

We invited them to play one piece before Rafael’s concert, to get a taste of the real thing. In the video below you can see them getting prepared, at home as well as right before the concert.

I know Krisna and Prawira since 2013 as you can see in the other video, recorded when they visited the workshop with their parents.

Kimiko Kawabata

Kimiko Kawabata

This is Kimiko Kawabata, a Japanese calligraphy artist, living in Leiden (the Netherlands) since 1972.

Inspired by haikus of master poet Basho describing the beauty of the area of Fukushima, Kimiko made a series of calligraphies for an exposition in Huis de Pinto in Amsterdam.

Next weekend, during the closure of the exposition a series of concerts will take place. One of the concerts will be given by Hambre y Sed the guitar ensemble of which Kimoko Kawabata is a member.

The revenues of the exposition and concerts will be handed to the victims of Fukushima by Kimiko personally. Since the region was destroyed by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011, Kimoko travels to Fukushima at least once a year,

kimiko kawabata kalligrafie

Sad update May 2019

Thomas Vowinkel

thomas vowinkel otto vowinkel

This is Thomas Vowinkel, an electric bass player from Germany who got interested in classical guitar playing. When he started looking for a new instrument he found out about a guitar maker in Amsterdam, named just like him!

Although my grandfather – named Otto Vowinkel too – comes from the same area as where Thomas Vowinkel comes from, it seems like that Thomas and I are not related family wise.

Thomas took some beautiful pictures of his stay in Amsterdam. The one on top he named The three Vowinkel’s.

otto vowinkel concert guitar