WINDS DAYS! LECTURE: 3D PRINTING: NEW PERSPECTIVES IN INSTRUMENT MAKING

TODAY & TOMORROW 

Most of the old instruments played today are in fact copies of originals kept in museums or private collections. The majority of wind instrument makers are craftsmen who perpetuate an ancestral know-how, handed down from master to pupil. Nevertheless, they are also a part of our times and are aware of the technical and technological developments as well as the changing needs of performers and listeners. While the advent of new technologies has improved working conditions and fuelled research and understanding of early instruments, it has also raised questions about our relationship with previous generations and our respect for tradition. What role does the material play in the quality of the sound you produce? What elements should we keep from an instrument that is centuries old? How can we distinguish between what is part of its identity and what is the result of the passage of time? These are just some of the questions that will be addressed during the lecture, which aims to broaden the scope of our thinking and to outline the avenues to be explored by the instruments makers of tomorrow.