Massimo de Bonfils
Interests: violin, viola, classical music, violin making
Massimo de Bonfils is an Italian violinist, violist and educator whose career connects the concert stage with the study of musical instruments. A graduate in both violin and viola, he is a former director of the Antonio Vivaldi Conservatory in Alessandria and Novara and a former professor at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome.
His international work encompasses solo performances with orchestras, chamber music, teaching and service on competition juries. As a member of the Teatro Petruzzelli orchestra, he took part in tours in Europe, Brazil and the United States. His long-standing duo with guitarist Luca Minervino has performed in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Alongside his concert work, de Bonfils explores how instrument design shapes musical expression. At Santa Cecilia he taught violin making and the history and technology of stringed instruments, and contributed to university courses in engineering applied to musical instruments. With Mauro Fabretti he co-authored Beyond Stradivari: The New Santa Cecilia Violin Model, investigating an experimental instrument designed with the performer’s comfort and contemporary acoustic demands in mind.
