Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
Florian Leonhard
Director
Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring, and making violins. After Mittenwald he worked for W. E. Hill and Sons, becoming Head Restorer. Today he leads his own team of restorers. Informed by 40 years of research, Florian’s bench copy instruments are sought after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals.
A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his books, ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and the ‘Makers of Tuscany’, Florian is currently conducting research on the Bisiach family of makers for a book due to be published next year.
Florian is regularly called upon as a jury member for violin competitions, and has held the position of President at the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is widely considered both the leading dealership and restoration workshop in the world.
Thomas Wei
Head of Sales
Tom actively engages with musicians to find them the very best instrument. For 20 years, he has worked closely with Florian and our restorers and makers to ensure that a bespoke service is supplied to every client who visits. Prior to this role, he pursued his studies in violin performance in Taiwan, moving to London in the early 90’s where he studied at the Purcell school and then the Royal Academy of Music. This background has proved invaluable, and affords him an understanding and passion to help fulfil the particular needs of the musician looking to get the very best from their long hours of practice. When he’s not working with musicians and instruments, Tom spends much of his spare time on the river with the Lea Rowing club in Hackney.
Joe Stupple
Head of Business Development
Joe has worked for FLFV since 2009, after studying Music at Manchester. His first project was to coordinate the publishing of The Makers of Central Italy. After representing the company on one trip to New York, Joe continued to develop business across the pond, conducting a number of notable sales in the States and back at home since.
Joe works closely with our colleagues in San Francisco, Belgium, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as looking after clients in London. In his spare time, he likes going to concerts and spending time with family.
Sumina Studer
New York/East Coast Partnership and Client Manager
Sumina helps instrumentalists find the instrument of their dreams.
Having grown up in a musical family in Switzerland, Sumina has been a performing violinist all her life, having studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Sumina herself has benefitted greatly from long-term loans of various modern and historical fine instruments throughout her career, such as by Stradivari, Storioni, Widenhouse and Camilli, enabling her to understand the significance of being matched with the right instrument.
Whilst retired from the live stage, Sumina has built a significant online community on social media and loves to keep in touch with music enthusiasts worldwide through a mixture of educational and entertaining content all about classical music and music lifestyle. When she’s not at Florian’s, you can find Sumina hosting sight reading parties, visiting concerts, creating amateur paintings or working on her social media management company specialised in classical musicians.
Arielle Masliah
Manager: Certification and Instruments to Study
Arielle joined Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in 2014 as the Project Coordinator and since then, her role has grown to London Office Manager. She moved from Paris to study at University College London and progressed to working in the City as a data analyst. She was delighted with the opportunity for something completely different at FLFV, and her multi-lingual skills and background has served her well in the esoteric world of fine instruments. She organises Florian’s Far East marketing, participation in international competitions, business development, and assists him with all the instruments’ certifications. She is currently coordinating the forthcoming publication on ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Whilst not a musician herself, she has been inspired by her experience of the classical music industry to take up playing the piano.
Justina Lui
Office Manager and Bookkeeping
Justina is from Melbourne, Australia, and began playing the violin at the age of five. She has a Law LLB degree from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Music (Violin Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has freelanced as a violinist and educator in Australia and France, where she undertook further study in chamber music and orchestral playing.
Passionate about new music and community engagement with classical music, Justina has also worked in the Contemporary Music Department at Schott Publishing and was the Shop Manager at Thwaites Fine Instruments and Bows in London. Justina joined the team at FLFV in 2019.
Patrick Smith
Publications, Photography and PA to Florian Leonhard
Patrick joined FLFV in early 2020 as an Office Administrator and PA to Florian, after graduating the year before with a master’s degree from Bristol University in film scoring; a discipline he remains active in during his spare time. He comes from a very musical background and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music with German.
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau
Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher
Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau is a musicologist working on the relationships between organology and economic studies. She obtained her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Musicology in Cremona, University of Pavia, and she completed her PhD in Music and Performing Arts at the Sapienza University of Rome. Several fellowships and awards, such as Jamis and Galpin Grant, have supported her studies and publications. Over the years, she worked continuously as a self-employed researcher on different organological projects. For FLVF, she was the research leader for the volume ‘The Makers of Central Italy’ and now for our latest publication, ‘The Makers of Tuscany’. Following a period of several years in South Korea, Gloria moved to the U.K. She then worked at the University of Southampton, and is now part of the FLFV team as our Publications Coordinator and Archival Researcher. She is also responsible for FLFV Articles Series, our new platform of online articles on crucial topics for the sector, published monthly on the Florian Leonhard Fine Violins website.
Elinor Bishop
Front of House and Cellist
Elinor has lived in London all her life and began playing the cello when she was 3 years old. She studied Music at the University of York, and went on to do a Masters in Music Education at UCL.
She initially began working for FLFV in 2018 and has recently returned, combining it with her cello teaching practice. Elinor also writes for Music Teacher magazine, and teaches Early Years classes for her local music service. Outside of work, Elinor enjoys cooking and walking her dog.
Rebecca Smith
Front of House and Violinist
Rebecca is a violinist and violist appearing with a number of the UK’s leading ensembles—from historical performance on period instruments, to contemporary classical, and dance band music. She has degrees from Oxford and the RNCM, studying with Remus Azoitei and Maciej Rakowski respectively. Their instruction proved invaluable for her own teaching at both Chetham’s and St Mary’s Edinburgh specialist music schools.
Having first encountered FLFV over ten years ago as a client, Rebecca is enthusiastically involved with innovative approaches to sound and setup with the workshop teams. She has also enjoyed working on Florian’s latest publication ‘The Makers of Tuscany’.
In her spare time you may find Rebecca lost in Golden Age Thinking: a condition which began not long after her appointment as Violinist of the Scarborough Spa Orchestra.
Mr. Reginald
Mascot
Mr. Reginald is a small but notable member of the team. He is a natural at meeting clients and making them feel at ease. However, notwithstanding close scrutiny from his line manager, Arielle, he is frequently caught sleeping on the job.
