Stefan Nitschke
I was born 1982.
When I was eleven years old, I started to play guitar. Since then, this instrument never lost ist hold of me! After a short period of learning classical guitar, I wanted to play the electric guitar and spent several years playing Blues, Rock and Jazz. Realizing that I wanted more from and with the guitar, I changed back to playing the classical guitar and soon found my partiality for Tarréga and other composers of the earlier 20th century. In 2002 I started my studies at the conservatory in Osnabrück. My teacher Ulrich Müller not only helped me to improve my playing the guitar, but also encouraged me to build my first instrument. The aim was set: I wanted to build a guitar! Building my first guitar on the living room carpet at home. Not only I was enthusiastic, also my teacher Ulrich Müller was excited of my first results. So I could not wait to build the next instrument. In that time I got to know Gerhard Oldiges. He allowed me to watch his work from time to time and ask lots of questions. My thirst for knowledge grew, and I was aware that with Gerhard I had found an experienced luthier. We met in his workshop numerous times, and in hours of intense discussions I learned the essentials of craftsmanship and artistic standards of high quality instruments. In 2004 I carried forward my studies at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt with Olaf van Gonnissen. When I sold my third guitar as soon as it was finished I realised that building guitars was to become more than a hobby for me. Highly motivated, I tried to work as a luthier parallel to my studies. In spite of the time and energy spent for building instruments, I successfully concluded my studies in 2007 and passed the concert examination two years later. Over the years I tested every guitar that I could lay hands on and searched for inspiration. Thus I found my passion for the sound of the old masters. Still my greatest motivation to build guitars is the process: when the instrument emerges from the raw materials, and I can form the sound closer and closer to my personal ideal – although I might never be able to reach this ideal sound.
