PETER ELIAS

Luthier

Maker of double basses, cellos, violas and violins, Peter Elias is Canadian but has lived in Switzerland since 1992. A considerable part of his experience in the music world has been as a musician, having been a professional bass-player before dedicating himself to the construction of instruments. Largely self taught as a luthier, his most important influences have been close working relationships with professional musicians. To date over 110 of his double basses, cellos, violas, and violins are being played by professional musicians in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Asia.

As a bass player, he initially found himself drawn to the research and construction of the double bass. His success in the bass world has been considerable and Elias Double Basses can be found in numerous orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (who bought nine Elias Basses), the Stockholm Philharmonic, the Südwestfunk Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Chambre de Lausanne, the Royal Swedish Opera, the Portuguese National Orchestra of Oporto, and the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra of Sao Paulo. Conservatories in Stockholm and Berlin have Elias Basses, as do soloists such as Michael Wolf (Berlin), Marc-Antione Bonanomi (Lausanne) Hakan Ehrens (Stockholm), and Joel Quarrington (Toronto).

However in recent years cellos as well as violas and violins, have also become the object of Elias' creativity. Niall Brown of the Australian String Quartet, and Catherine Tunnell, first cellist in the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, play Elias Cellos. Janis Laurs, principal cello in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and well known soloist and teacher, as well as Suzanne Wijsman, cello professor at the University of Western Australia have bought cellos for themselves. Violas have gained a certain reputation as well. Jochun Greiner, professor at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin (formerly of the Kreuzberg Quartet) plays a Elias Viola and recommends them to students and colleagues. Another viola is played in the Gewandthausorchester in Leipzig. Vahagan Aristakessyan recently won the audition for the principal second violin of the Basel Symphony Orchestra playing an Elias Violin.