This young luthier creates vegan musical instruments with cruelty-free materials

Maria Torresia young violin maker from Padula, in the province of Salerno, is revolutionizing the world of traditional violin making with a unique mission: create vegan musical instruments. At just 23 years old, Maria managed to combine her passion for music with her profound ethical principles, giving life to first vegan violin in Italy.

His initiative stands out for the exclusive use of cruelty-free materialsoffering an innovative and sustainable alternative to conventional tools. The passion for violin making was born almost by chance in 2019, when Maria and her partner, Francesco Pizzuti, built their first electric guitar in the home garage.

Although the initial result wasn’t perfect, that small undertaking lit a spark. From there, they continued to experiment and refine their techniques, even moving to Sesto Fiorentino to attend a prestigious violin making school.

Now working on a vegetable glue for instrument repair

During her journey, Maria has chosen to embrace a very specific style: avoid any material of animal origin. This decision posed significant challenges, but her teachers embraced her determination, helping her find creative solutions.

Maria has developed tools using alternative materials, such as corian instead of animal bone, vegetable waxes instead of those of bees and synthetic hair high quality for violin bows. However, the most ambitious project was the vegan violin, which required the use of a aliphatic glueless conventional than traditional animal glue. Maria is now working on one vegetable glue which could offer the same reversible properties needed for instrument repair.

In addition to creating instruments, Maria and Francesco plan to open a cruelty-free shop in Padula. This space will not only be a laboratory, but also a meeting place for musicians and artisans who share their ethical vision.

Their goal is to prove that it is possible innovate while respecting the environment and animalswhile contributing to the economic development of their territory. Maria’s story is an example of how traditions can be created with passion, sacrifice and determination transformed to adapt to the values ​​of the present.