INTERVIEW TO LUCIA LUQUE She was born in Cordoba, Argentina in 1988. Besides being a very talented violin maker from the musical and technical point of view, she has also a remarkable predisposition for the stage. She has been performing both in solo and camera concerts and has been working with important orchestras in Europe and South America. For some years she has been attending specialization courses with maestro Salvatore Accardo. I had the pleasure of being at the wonderful concert she held at San Domenico Room on 11th November 2012 and spending a few hours with her in the same afternoon. The following is a summary of our conversation. GENIZINI: During the concert you emotionally impressed the audience and showed your technical gifts, along with your great passion; how did you enter the world of music and in particular of the violin? LUQUE: Ever since I was a child, I have always been into music; I loved singing and I got excited when I had the possibility of performing in front of other people; I really wanted to be “on the stage”. In Cordoba there was a family friend who was a piano and singing teacher; one day she heard me singing and thought it was a good idea to do a” piano test” in order to start my music education. It was at her house, after a piano lesson, that I saw a violin for the first time. I immediately asked to play it and... I fell in love with the instrument. My parents were really happy and after a few days they gave me a violin suitable for my age (I was 7 years old). At that age you do not fully realize what is happening to you, but whenever I played, music came out easily and naturally. I remember that the first month I was a bit angry because I used to think : “ I can already do this”; so I wanted to go on, learn new things; after one year I could play the repertoire you usually play after studying for five years. This feature has created a strong tie with the violin. I was lucky because in Cordoba I had the greatest Argentinian maestro, Humberto Carfi, who at the time was 86, and had been Remi Principe's and Francescati's student. I came from an Italian school , I made the first concerts at 8, the most important international concerts at 14 and in 2005 I got a tuition from Cordoba municipality and so I moved to Verona where I took a diploma.... I also studied in Fiesole for a year. Since 2009 I have been following specialization courses with maestro Salvatore Accardo at Walter Stauffer Foundation in Cremona. GENZINI: What are, in your opinion, the characteristics of a good violin? LUQUE: During my career, I used different instruments, both ancient and modern. The Stradivari “Vesuvius” I played at Cremona Civic Museum is certainly one of the best instruments I have ever played; it was really exciting to hold such a beautiful violin. I find it hard to describe in words the ideal sound of a violin; I think that basic aspects are sound quality and power. For me it is essential that a violin has its own “soul” . When you play in a concert, you are usually expressive ; however, I managed to make people feel emotions and I felt emotions myself in a more powerful way with some special instruments ..... this aspect is still a bit mysterious. I think that the tone of the instrument and the musician's interpreting ability are the most relevant features. GENZINI: Which violin do you usually play? LUQUE: I have been playing for some years a beautiful instrument made by Piedmontese violinmaker Enrico Marchetti in 1920 and I am really at ease with it. Since I was ten years old, I have also used a bow made by Klaus Nielsen. GENZINI: What are your future engagements? LUQUE: I live in Berlin and I am touring with piano player Miguel Bareilles and guitar player Federico Diaz throughout Europe; I will be playing some concerts as first violin with OCI (Italian Chamber Orchestra) in Italy and with Halencourt Soloist Chamber Orchestra in Bruxelles. In 2013 I will often be in Argentina, as I am accompaniment first violin in Cordoba Symphonic orchestra. I will certainly come back to Cremona for my studies.