The violin is the highest-pitched bowed string instrument of its family, often serving as the melodic pillar of the symphony orchestra. Its morphology is highly sophisticated: the soundbox typically has a soundboard carved from spruce and the back and ribs constructed from maple. It features a smooth, fretless neck and four strings tuned in perfect fifths (G, D, A, E).
Acoustically, the sound is produced by the friction of the strings by a horsehair bow, or through their direct plucking. The vibration is transmitted to the soundboard through the wooden bridge. Inside the body, the acoustics depend on two vital elements: the soundpost (a small cylinder connecting the soundboard to the back) and the bass bar. These distribute the vibrations and support the string pressure, giving the violin a brilliant, agile, and extraordinarily projecting timbre.
Historically, the violin emerged in northern Italy during the first half of the 16th century. Its classical proportions were perfected in Cremona, in the 17th and 18th centuries, by the celebrated makers Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri. In the 19th century, it underwent structural alterations, adopting a longer and more inclined neck to support higher tension strings and project sound in large modern concert halls.
Teachers
Courses with this instrument
José Gomes
Deputy Director, Violin, String Orchestra
A native of Braga, José Miguel Gomes began his musical journey at the age of 6 at the Conservatório Calouste Gulbenkian de Braga, later graduating from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa under the guidance of Khatchatur Amirkhanian. His career is marked by extensive orchestral experience, having collaborated with various orchestras: Orquestra do Algarve/Clássica do Sul, Filarmonia das Beiras, Sinfónica da Póvoa de Varzim, and Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil (Assistant Concertmaster). He worked with renowned conductors such as Álvaro Cassuto, Christopher Bochmann, Pedro Neves, Cesário Costa, Osvaldo Ferreira, among others.
Currently, he maintains a regular performing activity as a member of the Sul’Arte Quartet and the Cklavi Trio. In parallel, he has consolidated an excellent curriculum in pedagogy, teaching Violin and Ensemble Class at the Conservatório de Música de Loulé – Francisco Rosado. His students have won awards in national reference competitions, such as the Concurso Nacional de Cordas “Vasco Barbosa” and Concurso Capela. As an Ensemble Class teacher, he led the orchestras of the conservatories of Olhão (2016) and Loulé (2025) to victory in the 1st Prize of the International Soundtrack Competition, in Spain. His experience also extends to guiding sections in orchestra workshops and international festivals.
Pedro de Oliveira e Sá is a violin teacher at the Conservatório de Música de Loulé and maintains a regular artistic activity as a violinist, violist, and chamber musician. He is a member of the Quarteto do Algarve, the Orquestra Sinfónica do Algarve, and the Algarve Camerata, an ensemble with which he has also performed as a soloist, on both the violin and the viola.
He completed his studies at the Conservatório de Música de Aveiro, in the class of André Fonseca; he earned a degree in Music — Violin variant — from the Universidade de Évora, where he studied with Valentim Stefanov, and completed a Master's degree in Music Education under the guidance of Lívio Scripcaru. He also holds a degree in Information and Communication Technologies from the Universidade de Aveiro.
Romeu Madeira began his musical studies at the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra. He continued his training at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, where he studied violin with Khachatour Amirkhanian and chamber music with Irene Lima and Olga Prats. In 2010, he enrolled in the master's program at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra, in Aníbal Lima's class.
Throughout their career, they attended several masterclasses in violin and chamber music with renowned national and international musicians, having also worked with several prominent conductors. They collaborated with numerous orchestras, including the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, Remix Ensemble, Orquestra do Algarve, Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa, Orquestra Gulbenkian, and Orquestra Sinfónica do Algarve, performing regularly in orchestral and chamber music settings.
He was a member of the Chamber Orchestra of the Republican National Guard, where he performed as a soloist, and was part of the Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon. He also developed chamber music activities in the Sintra String Quartet.
In parallel, he has developed an intense pedagogical activity in several institutions. Currently, he is a violin professor at the Conservatório de Música de Loulé – Francisco Rosado, and is also a member of the Ensemble Gli Accenti and the Quarteto Algarve.