Florian Leonhard has dedicated his life to studying, restoring and making violins. After studying at the prestigious violin-making school at Mittenwald he worked for W.E. Hill and Sons for several years, becoming Head Restorer. Today, he leads his own 12-strong team of restorers in his London workshop. Informed by over 30 years of research, Florian's bench copy instruments are well sought-after for their acoustic and visual closeness to the originals. Florian Leonhard Fine Violins is now widely recognized as the world's leading authenticator, dealership and restoration workshop for fine stringed instruments, with a recently opened office in New York. Among the artists that he advises are Maxim Vengerov, Leonidas Kavakos, Daniel Hope, Natalie Klein, Alina Ibragimova and Julian Lloyd-Webber. Described by The TELEGRAPH as 'The world's leading expert' in fine violins, Florian's philosophy is shown in his obvious passion for fine instruments and the music that they help to create. He extends the same care to young, talented and promising musicians, nurturing their careers with as much attention as he has for their instruments, by sponsoring competitions, concert series and artists, and regularly lending instruments from his own collection. A regular contributor to books and articles and having published his book, The Makers of Central Italy, Florian is currently conducting research on the Tuscan makers for a book due to be published in the second half of 2015. This year Florian is President of the Pisogne Making Competition in Cremona and he is regularly called upon as a Jury member for violin competitions. Florian also sits on the board of the Menuhin competition and the Philharmonia Orchestra Trust.