K&K Art Galeria » A life with a passion for instruments

A life with a passion for instruments

Tytuł

02 September 2026

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Jakub Kubicki – a contemporary luthier who brings tradition together with music

Jakub T. Kubicki is a contemporary luthier, musician and composer based in Warsaw. Born in 1995, he was exposed to music from an early age, studying violin at the Stanisław Moniuszko First-Level Music School in Warsaw. His interest in lutherie grew at the Antoni Kenar State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Zakopane, where he specialised in artistic lutherie from 2011 to 2015. He then studied Artistic Lutherie at the Academy of Music in Poznań, in Professor Antoni Krupa’s workshop.

For him, lutherie is not merely a traditional craft, but also an art form that calls for musical and technical knowledge, as well as great sensitivity. In his workshop—the Salon of Interesting Instruments—he focuses primarily on making and repairing string instruments. His work therefore also has a conservation aspect. In 2023, Gazeta Wyborcza described his Warsaw workshop as a place where he “brings instruments back to life.”

In his interviews, the luthier always stresses that violins are extraordinarily complex acoustic structures. In an interview with Polish Radio, he explained, among other things, the significance of the wooden plates, bridge and soundpost, as well as the immense stresses to which violins are subjected. His knowledge therefore extends beyond simply making instruments: he can also explain in accessible terms why a string instrument produces a particular sound and how its construction affects its tone. Jakub Kubicki’s educational work has led to the creation of not only the Salon of Interesting Instruments and theInternet Dictionary of Polish Luthiers – Polish Musical Instrumentsbut also Stradosfera, which he created on YouTube. The channel is devoted to the theory and practice of lutherie.

Jakub’s own musical activity is also an important part of his work. He plays the violin, viola and double bass, and also composes. He has collaborated with several ensembles. He is the violinist and composer of the band Nieład. This gives him a distinctive perspective on the instrument: he knows it not only as a craftsman, but also as a musician.

Jakub Kubicki thus represents a generation of artists who bring the centuries-old tradition of lutherie together with contemporary musical culture. His work shows that being a luthier calls for the precision of a craftsperson, the knowledge of an artist and the sensitivity of a musician. By making, repairing and studying instruments, Kubicki helps preserve the living tradition of lutherie while giving it a contemporary character.