M. Heroux & I. Wilbaux 16.5" viola, "Chanterelle", Sainte-Émélie-de-l'Énergie, 2001

spritely, versatile, projecting

About the Instrument
This viola has a fresh, bright sound, bold yet nimble. Its versatility and projecting tone makes for an excellent instrument, either for solo or group playing. A lovely tiger figure falls directly across its single-piece maple back, and similar flames run along the scroll. This viola has been lovingly antiqued and shaded by its makers, and is in excellent condition.

Interior written label reads: "'Chanterelle' / MARTiN HEROUX & iSABELLE WiLBAUX / Sainte-Émélie-de-l'Énergie - 2001"
Length: 413 mm (16 1/2")
Upper Bouts: 199 mm
Middle Bouts: 143 mm
Lower Bouts: 244 mm

About the Makers
Martin Héroux (1972- ) was born outside of Montréal in the town of Sainte-Émélie-de-l'Énergie, Canada, Héroux is a contemporary luthier based in Québec. The son of a cabinetmaker and artist, Héroux attended the École de Lutherie Artistique du Noroît in Québec City. Upon graduation, he traveled to Brussels, Belgium, to work in the Maison Bernard atelier under Jan Strick. In 1998, Héroux opened his own shop to craft and restore stringed instruments. Not long afterward, he began to earn accolades for his work, including Bronze Medal for Violin at the City of Paris Competition (in collaboration with Isabelle Wilbaux), Grand Prize in Violin Making at the International Competition of the Mexican School of Violin Making. For several years, Héroux had a shop with Eugénie-Raphaëlle Lépine in Joliette. Now once again in Sainte-Émélie-de-l'Énergie, Héroux continues to receive awards for his craft, including those from the Violin Society of America: Silver Medal for Viola Tone, as well as Certificates of Merit for Tone for Quartet and Cello Workmanship.

Isabelle Wilbaux (1965- ) is a contemporary master luthier who was born in Tournai, Belgium and works out of Montréal, Canada. Wilbaux attended the historic Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria (International Violin Making School) in Cremona, graduating in 1988. She went on to study under Philippe Bodart in Besnçon, France, and Jose-Maria Lozano in Madrid. After her apprenticeships, Wilbaux opened her own atelier in Tournai, then Brussels, before moving to Montréal in 1998, where she has worked since. With four decades’ experience in instrument making, Wilbaux’s pieces are sought out by musicians for their warm, lush tone.

Wilbaux has been awarded several accolades for his instruments, including the Silver Medal for Tone from the Violin Society of America, as well as others for tone and workmanship from VSA for her violins, violas, and quartets. She has also earned three prizes, including the Sacconi Prize for Viola, from the Cremona Triennale International, a Bronze Medal for Violin from the Concours International de Lutherie et d’Archèterie in Paris, and Prize for Best Tone for Violin from the Mittenwald International Violin Making Competition. Wilbaux is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Violin Society of America, Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers du Canada, and Collectif Lutherie Montréal.

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https://wilbauxluthier.com/