Modern French Viola by Yann Poulain, Montpellier 2025

A scientist by training, destined to become an optician like his father, Yann Poulain is a methodical and rational man. Passionate about building blocks in his early childhood, he created his first constructions. And when he reached a certain age, he built them using whatever materials were at hand, improvising in the garden of his family home. It was there that he discovered a passion for woodworking… The grandson of an amateur violinist, Yann also studied the architecture of his grandfather’s instrument with increasing interest… until he ordered his first workbench and a few gouges for his thirteenth Christmas. Stradivarius Exhibition at the Fabre Museum Record of the violins during the Stradivarius Exhibition at the Fabre Museum Meticulous, the teenager researched the types of wood used to make instruments and found the right wood on which to practice his toolmaking skills. He painstakingly crafted his first violin. “I’ve always liked working alone, to delve deeper into my ideas, to be absolutely certain of my decisions,” he says with a smile. His parents assumed it was just a hobby. But Yann Poulain had other ideas. After graduating from high school with a focus on science, he enrolled in an accelerated cabinetmaking course to become “comfortable with the craft”; then he attended the Newark School in England. Graduating as a luthier at 21, he worked as an assistant in England, Berlin, and then Nantes before choosing Montpellier “for the reputation of its workshops.” For four years, he honed his skills before opening his own business in 2005, at the age of 26. In his small workshop on Place Sainte-Anne, Yann Poulain now makes about ten violins, cellos, and violas a year. Discreet, he carries out his work with seriousness, filled with an inner joy that radiates when he speaks of this craft which “always offers something to explore. From a technical or historical point of view, in drawing, sculpture, the science of varnishing.” In his words, the craft is a pleasure: “The blade sings on the woods, each with its own unique sound and a different sheen under the cut…” The scent of spruce, the grain of maple, the ochre color of willow, the hardness of ebony… The slightest gesture awakens sensations, and the mind is constantly nourished. This is similar to the stimulating atmosphere among the luthiers of the neighborhood. For in Sainte-Anne, Yann is a direct neighbor of his colleagues Frédéric Chaudière, Nicolas Gilles, and Wolfram Neureither. Friends, partners, and collaborators in running the Montpellier International Music Academy, this quartet of artisans enjoys exchanging impressions of the craft, discussing techniques, sharing their methods and discoveries, or even building a cello together to raise funds for their association. Awards – Distinctions: 2011 Luthiers’ Festival – Montpellier – Viola Sound Prize 2012 Violin Society of America – Cleveland – Certificate of Merit for String Quartet Sound 2013 Hérault Chamber of Trades and Crafts – “Craftsmanship Excellence” award 2014 Viola’s – Paris – Alto Sound Prize 2017 Occitanie Region LR – “Artinov’Arts” Prize