After building my first cello last year in high school, I was sold. Three years later, I found myself at the world-famous violin-building school in Cremona. Also known as the cradle of the violin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Jacobmedgranstokker.jpg\" "\\"Jacobmedgranstokker\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Here you see a happy violin builder student with her teacher Wanna Zambelli. She was the first female teacher at the school and gave me her knowledge and time to explore on her own. Cremona was an inspiring city for me as a young student. All the teaching was in Italian, so I quickly learned the language.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Jacobogdame.jpg\" "\\"Jacobogdame\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/gate.jpg\" "\\"gate\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Palazzo Raimondi where the violin building school ” Istituto Professionale Internazionale per l’Artigianato Liutario e del Legno, A. Stradivari”<\/em> held for the years I went there. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> After five years in Italy, it was time to turn our noses back home. I had already sold some of my first violins in Norway, and tried to the best of my ability to gain a foothold in the Norwegian music scene. I found a nice workshop room in Therese Street, where I still live. Already after two years in Oslo, I decided to focus exclusively on new construction of string instruments. I was so lucky to be able to build instruments for both Arve Tellefsen and Truls M\u00f8rk after a short time in the capital, which gave me a “flying start”.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> I feel lucky to be allowed to work on my great passion every single day. That musicians value my instruments adds an extra dimension to it all.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Here you can read more about the dry facts.<\/p>\n<\/div> 1995-1998 1995-98 1993-1994 1990-1993 July 2000- May 2006 – December 2012 September 2005 – December 2005 May 2009 – June 2010 June 2003, June 2004, June 2005 and June 2007 August 2000 – February 2002 January 2000 – June 2000 January 1999 – December 1999 September 1998 – December 1998 September 1996 – June 1997 August 1997, August 1996 and September 1994![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Jacob-okt02_3.jpeg\" "\\"OLYMPUS")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Oslo<\/h2><\/span>
![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC0111_web-scaled.jpg\" "\\"_DSC0111_web\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC06898.jpg\" "\\"DSC06898\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Background<\/h2><\/span>
<\/i><\/i><\/span>Education<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
The International School of Violin Makers: “Istituto Professionale Internazionale per l’Artigianato Liutario e del Legno “A. Stradivari” ” in Cremona; <\/p>\n
Apprenticeship in the workshop “Carlson Cacciatori & Neumann” in Cremona, Italy under the auspices of Regione Lombardia (county of Lombardy) in the fall of 1998.<\/p>\n
Toneheim Folk High School 1993-94, main emphasis on music.<\/p>\n
High school at R. Steiner School in Vestfold with final year thesis in spring 1993: “Building a cello”.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i><\/i><\/span>Work experience<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
Violin maker Jacob von der Lippe, self-employed, Oslo. Works as a violin builder, from February 2002 full time. Concentrates my work on building new instruments in the violin family.<\/p>\n
Dextra Musica AS, (DnBNOR Savings Bank Foundation), Oslo (part-time) Maintained and cared for the collection of 50 string instruments.<\/p>\n
Work placement with violin maker David Wiebe, Woodstock, USA. Exchanged experiences and ideas while building a cello. Received a scholarship from the Norway-America association.<\/p>\n
Coordinator for the Ole Bull Jubilee at Permanenten Art Museum in Bergen (part-time) Planning and implementation of a large-scale instrument exhibition where we collected 12 violins by Guarneri del Ges\u00fa in addition to 12 selected instruments from Dextra Musica’s own collection. I also organized a workshop at the museum where 7 violin makers together built a violin together.<\/p>\n
International Violin Making Workshop, Oberlin College, Ohio, USA Working with colleagues from all over the world to share knowledge, new technology and old tradition.<\/p>\n
Hornaas Music A\/S, Oslo. Worked as a violin builder, part time. Made major repairs and set up \/ rigged school instruments.<\/p>\n
Perfected myself on my own in Cremona, in close contact with and under the supervision of Edgar Russ, see below.<\/p>\n
Carlson, Cacciatori & Neumann Violin Workshop, Cremona. Employed as a full-time violin builder, worked under the direction of violin maker master Silvio Levaggi. Mainly new construction of instruments in the violin family.<\/p>\n
Carlson, Cacciatori & Neumann Violin Workshop, Cremona. Apprentice, full time. Built a violin for the final exam.<\/p>\n
Master violin maker Edgar Russ, Cremona. Apprentice, part-time. Worked with both the master’s and own instruments. Also involved the manufacture of own oil paint based on old recipes.<\/p>\n
Hornaas Music A\/S, Oslo. Summer job, full time. Made minor repairs and set up \/ rigged school instruments.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/www.vonderlippe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC06838.jpg\" "\\"DSC06838\\"")
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