Gwen Richards

Cardiff Violins has been part of my life since a young age. Cecile and Chris have always provided helpful assistance, a happy atmosphere and a varied and vast choice of bows and violins to try. I’ve been very fortunate to find my bow made by Benoit Rolland and a Hopf violin (dated 1790), both of which I love and found through Cardiff Violins. The shop is in a great location in Cardiff, making it very accessible from London, where I was a student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Chris and Cecile have always been exceptionally supportive and have always been helpful at every step of my musical development. They understand that taking time to find the perfect instrument and bow for you is important and needs patience, time and several cups of tea! Thanks to Cardiff Violins, I’ve found an instrument and bow that I adore playing every day in my work as sub co-leader of BBC National Orchestra of Wales.