logo
Malaysias first professional violin maker carves out a rare craft

Malaysias first professional violin maker carves out a rare craft

Mint18-07-2025
SELANGOR, Malaysia (AP) — Hunched over his workbench, Tan Chin Seng shaves the wooden top plate of a violin, removing thin layers with slow, deliberate strokes. The work is meditative, out of the public eye. For Tan, transforming raw wood into a violin is a labor of artistry and love.
The 45-year-old is Malaysia's first professional violin luthier, or maker of string instruments like violins, cellos and guitars. Over the past decade, he has earned international accolades. Now he mentors a new generation of makers in a field still little-known in Southeast Asia.
Traditionally, violin luthiers are associated with Europe, where masters like Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri shaped the modern violin. The craft has spread globally, with thriving communities now in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Tan's path to violin-making was unconventional. A computer science graduate who doesn't play the violin, he was helping in his family's food business and co-owned a music school. In 2010, a trip to China to restore an aging violin sparked a deeper fascination with the instrument's construction.
Curiosity led him to apprentice with Chinese luthier Han Zhao Sheng, and he built his first violin.
'After completing the first violin, I knew this craft was for me,' Tan said. 'There's woodworking, carpentry, artistic design. There's chemistry, acoustics, physics — everything about violin-making, I like it. Turning wood into music is just amazing.'
What followed was, in Tan's words, a 'crazy' devotion. He flew back and forth to Beijing for more training, then traveled to Italy to study under other luthiers. In the early days, he would spend up to 16 hours a day hunched over wood, perfecting every curve and contour. In 2015, he committed to violin-making full time.
The process is painstaking, often taking hundreds of hours to create a single violin and requiring intense focus. His studio, Deciso, located in a suburb near Kuala Lumpur, is cluttered with chunks of aged wood, chisels and jars of hand-mixed varnishes.
Tan crafts up to 10 instruments a year, using spruce for the top plate — the wood is prized for its resonance — and maple for the back, sides and neck. Sourced from Europe and at an annual wood fair in Shanghai, they are aged for years to ensure tonal quality and prevent warping and cracking.
Each violin begins with carving and smoothing the wooden boards to precise dimensions. Tan said the top and back plates are shaped to exact thicknesses that affect resonance. The ribs are bent and assembled, and the scroll is hand-carved at the neck. Varnish — often a luthier's secret blend — is applied in thin layers for protection and tonal influence. The last steps include cutting the bridge and stringing the instrument.
Tan's early years were challenging. Some Malaysian clients compared his handmade work to mass-produced instruments. But business grew after he won international awards in Italy and beyond.
Today, he builds violins — and occasionally violas and cellos — mainly on commission. Half of his clients come from abroad including France, Germany and Hong Kong. Each violin sells for 12,000 euros ($14,000).
Tan's journey has inspired others. While most of his students are musicians and young people, few pursue it as a trade due to the demands of the craft. Still, some have followed in his footsteps including Chan Song Jie, Malaysia's first female violin luthier.
Today, there are two other full-time violin luthiers in the country, both trained by him. Tan notes that the domestic market is still too small to support many more.
'I would say passion is not enough,' Tan said. 'We're all crazy. Everyone in this workshop — you see — they're all crazy. We just love the work too much.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Female HR executive caught on Coldplay camera resigns after embrace with CEO went viral
Female HR executive caught on Coldplay camera resigns after embrace with CEO went viral

The Hindu

timean hour ago

  • The Hindu

Female HR executive caught on Coldplay camera resigns after embrace with CEO went viral

The female executive who was caught on camera embracing the CEO of her company at a Coldplay concert in a moment that went viral has resigned, according to news reports. Multiple news outlets reported that Kristin Cabot, the executive in charge of human resources at tech company Astronomer, has resigned. Her departure follows the resignation of CEO Andy Byron, who quit after the company said he was being put on leave pending an investigation. The episode resulted in endless memes, parody videos and screenshots of the pair's shocked faces filling social media feeds Cabot and Byron were caught by surprise when singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song' during the concert last week at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They were shown cuddling and smiling, but when they saw themselves on the big screen, Cabot's jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera while Byron ducked out of the frame. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked in video that spread quickly around the internet. When the video first spread online it wasn't immediately clear who they were, but online sleuths rapidly figured out their identities. The company has previously confirmed the identities of the couple in a statement to the AP. ALSO READ: 'Baahubali' team takes a dig at viral Coldplay video Both of their profiles have been now removed from Astronomer's website and a November press release announcing her hiring has also been deleted. Astronomer was a previously obscure tech company based in New York. It provides big companies with a platform that helps them organize their data. Online streams of Coldplay's songs jumped 20% in the days after the video went viral, according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company.

American HR exec caught on Coldplay cam resigns after her embrace with CEO went viral
American HR exec caught on Coldplay cam resigns after her embrace with CEO went viral

New Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • New Indian Express

American HR exec caught on Coldplay cam resigns after her embrace with CEO went viral

The female executive who was caught on camera embracing the CEO of her company at a Coldplay concert in a moment that went viral has resigned, according to news reports. Multiple news outlets reported that Kristin Cabot, the executive in charge of human resources at tech company Astronomer, has resigned. Her departure follows the resignation of CEO Andy Byron, who quit after the company said he was being put on leave pending an investigation. The episode resulted in endless memes, parody videos and screenshots of the pair's shocked faces filling social media feeds Cabot and Byron were caught by surprise when singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song' during the concert last week at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They were shown cuddling and smiling, but when they saw themselves on the big screen, Cabot's jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera while Byron ducked out of the frame. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked in video that spread quickly around the internet. When the video first spread online it wasn't immediately clear who they were, but online sleuths rapidly figured out their identities. The company has previously confirmed the identities of the couple in a statement to the AP. Both of their profiles have been now removed from Astronomer's website and a November press release announcing her hiring has also been deleted. Astronomer was a previously obscure tech company based in New York. It provides big companies with a platform that helps them organize their data. Online streams of Coldplay's songs jumped 20% in the days after the video went viral, according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company.

At Mr Ong in Park Hyatt, try mee goreng, mantou buns and bean curd cheesecake
At Mr Ong in Park Hyatt, try mee goreng, mantou buns and bean curd cheesecake

The Hindu

time2 hours ago

  • The Hindu

At Mr Ong in Park Hyatt, try mee goreng, mantou buns and bean curd cheesecake

In the plush calmness of a luxury hotel, replicating the energy of a hawker stall from Singapore might seem challenging, but not impossible. Mr Ong - The Flavours of Singapore by Park Hyatt has orderly outdoor seating by a serene lily pond, but also has an open kitchen where the chefs are hard at work over flaming woks, grills and a bar, and upbeat music playing over speakers. While the restaurant threw open its doors post-pandemic with a menu focussed on Singaporean cuisine, a menu refresh less than a month ago means there is now a bevy of dishes from Singaporean, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine. 'While we began with the intent of bringing authentic Singaporean flavours to Chennai, the menu now focusses on South-East Asian cuisine. Our vision was to replicate a hawker-stall style atmosphere and menu here; something rare in a luxury hotel setting,' says Pragit Parameswaran, marketing communications manager, Park Hyatt, Chennai Chef Balaji Natarajan says there is much he is excited about in their new menu. 'We have mushroom stuffed mantou buns shaped like a mushroom, a delicate lace turmeric roti jala that is served with a chicken or a pumpkin curry, and a bean curd cheesecake made of silken tofu and cream cheese,' he says. 'We use a lot of fresh turmeric, both large chillies as well as the smaller bird's eye chillies, as well as ingredients native to these regions including torch ginger flowers we get from Malaysia in our cooking,' he explains. We begin our meal with the satay ayam, and dip our well marinated chicken skewers into some thick and sweet peanut sauce. Warm bowls of comforting malacca laksa follow, with noodles, chicken pieces, prawns and a jammy egg drenched in a coconutty soup. The mushroom shaped pillowy cendawan baos are generously stuffed with minced mushrooms tossed in chilli oil. For the main course, we opt for a true hawker favourite, greasy and flavourful mee goreng or wok tossed noodles that come packed with vegetables and mushrooms. The caramel banana crunchy peanut ice cream for dessert comes with an array of fixings, from honey brittle and nuts to a caramel sauce you can drizzle on your scoop. As diners get to experience the new menu, there are more popups in store at Mr Ong, as well as a sober bar being planned, to function alongside its regular bar for the non-drinkers to have a good variety of options as well. A selection of dishes from Mr Ong's new menu will also feature as a part of a set menu to be made available during Singa60, from August 1 to 10. Organized by Hindu Tamil Thisai in collaboration with The Hindu and Business Line, Singa60 offers a rich tapestry of events showcasing vibrant partnerships between India and Singapore through a curated program centered on Commerce, Culture, and Cuisine. The set menu at Mr Ong for Singa60 is priced at ₹3,000 plus taxes for a non-vegetarian meal and ₹2,600 for a vegetarian meal. Mr Ong is at Park Hyatt, Velachery Road, Guindy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store