Guillaume Turgeon 16 1/2" viola, Montreal, 2025 | Metzler Violins

responsive, consistent, warm

About the Instrument
This viola has a spirited sound that is notably consistent across registers, with a particularly warm treble timbre, making it an excellent solo instrument or one that can smoothly blend in a group. It has a beautiful caramel varnish over a golden ground, with a tiger flame figure falling from the center joint on the two-piece maple back. Similar flames run along the ribs, with the neck and scroll of a slightly plainer wood. This instruments is beautifully antiqued and shaded by its maker.

Interior handwritten label reads: “Guillaume Turgeon / Montréal 2025”
Length: 419 mm
Upper Bouts: 192 mm
Middle: 140 mm
Lower Bouts: 244 mm

About the Maker
Guillaume Turgeon is a contemporary luthier based in Canada. Prior to attending the École Nationale de Lutherie in Québec City, Turgeon was a violist by training and initially a cabinetmaker. After graduating from École Nationale de Lutherie in 2007, apprenticed in Pier Bergeron’s workshop where he focused on setting-up, repair, and restorations for several years. He then worked under Jean-Benoît Stensland and Thérèse Girard, two luthiers with whom Turgeon continues to collaborate. Through Stensland and Girard, Turgeon refined his craft, including the purfling on the box method. In 2015, Turgeon shared a workshop in Montréal with Gabrienne Gauchet for seven years. In 2022, Turgeon opened the Collectif Lutherie Montréal with Isabelle Wilbaux and Louis Gord. The Collectif is a shared luthier workshop where eleven instrument and bow makers work as well as hold lessons and community conferences.

https://www.guillaumeturgeonluthier.com/