Niall Flemming

Archetier - Bowmaker

Niall is an award winning bowmaker living and working in Brussels, Belgium. Among his accolades are two gold medals from the Violin Society of America (2022), 2ème Prix at the Concours D’Archeterie Violas in Paris (2019) and two certificates of workmanship from the Violin Society of America (2018). Niall takes inspiration for his work from the golden era of French bow making. Some of his greatest influences include the works of E. Pajeot, N. Maire and F. X. Tourte. Niall was trained in the traditional French method by Noel Burke and the lineage of his training can be traced back to Bernard Ouchard through Noel Burke and Stéphane Thomachot.

Niall was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1987, and grew up in Ireland. He has been an avid Irish folk musician since a young age and received several awards for his playing when younger. His love for instrument-making came to the fore at the age of 16, when he went to the summer course in violin making, run by Juliet Barker in Cambridge. It was here that he learned about the School of Musical Instrument Making in Newark, and as soon as he finished school he enrolled, completing the course in 2010. During his final year in Newark, Niall worked part-time in the London branch of Stringers of Edinburgh, where he gained his first experience of basic bow maintenance. It was here that he decided that he wanted to pursue bow-making and was granted an apprenticeship with Pierre Guillaume of Maison Bernard in Brussels. His work was mainly focused on the restoration and maintenance of bows, but he had the opportunity to work with many beautiful French bows, and was determined to pursue making in this beautiful style. On completion of this apprenticeship, Niall sought out renowned Irish bowmaker Noel Burke to further his making. He spent two years working on a bench beside Noel in his workshop, absorbing as much knowledge as possible. He then went on to open his first workshop in Kilkenny, Ireland, while maintaining a collaborative relationship with his former master in order to hone his skills and style.

In 2020 Niall moved back to Brussels, where he continues to work from his small workshop. He is now also a member of the Belgian Violin and Bow Making Association.