Cesario, or Cy as everyone knows him, has a great love for the violin family. It began in the 4th grade when he told his parents he was going to play the violin and over 25 years later he is still playing. He also enjoyed woodworking at an early age and developed his talents through high school wood shop and professional experience in cabinetry shops.
An article about a violin maker sparked his interest in violin making, becoming his aspiration a couple of years later. In 1998 he entered the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City and began his training as a violin maker. In late 1999 he secured a position with Peter Prier & Sons where he remained for a year and then in 2001 went to work for Michael and Carrie Scoggins at Scoggins & Scoggins violin shop. He remained there until 2004 when he was swept into a whirlwind of events.
Cy building a comissioned viola
In that year (2004), Cy graduated from the violin making school (he took a bit of a break from school), met his wife, moved to Tucson, Arizona, opened his own shop, and got married. He operated his shop there until late 2010 when he moved to Omaha, working briefly at A. Cavallo Violins. He continued doing bow work for A. Cavallo until July of 2013 when he chose to part ways and finish organizing Amesquita Violins, Inc.
Training
As written by Cy Amesquita - President and Violinmaker
"Violin making school built a solid foundation for me to work from. It was there that I was first able to handle, play, and examine wonderful instruments from across the globe. It opened my eyes to all the different styles and makers that were out there and sparked a further interest in bows. I was able to see some of the great instruments in the world, Stradivari (including Itzahk Perlman’s Soil), Testore, Guadagnini, several different makers from the Guarneri family including ‘del Gesu, some wonderful Jacobus Steiner instruments, Yo-Yo Ma’s incredible Montangnana cello, and many others. I also took advantage of the short time that the great French bow maker Benoit Rolland was there, listened to him and examined the bows that were brought. Later I spent time listening to and asking questions of another incredible French bow maker, Jean Grumberger.
I learned all the principles about set up that I use while I worked for Peter Prier. He had very exacting standards which I have used as the foundation for what I do today. I was able to continue that growth in set up and repair while I worked for Michael and Carrie Scoggins. They were both former students and later teachers at the violin making school and Michael had also worked in Peter’s shop restoring Strads and other fine instruments. In addition they spent a good deal of time making new instruments so you can imagine the amount of knowledge I was soaking up. It was amazing! Both Peter Prier and Carrie Scoggins are members of the American Federation of Violin and Bow makers which has very high standards for their members in both making and repair. This is the environment I was trained in and which I strive to replicate in my own shop.
I started doing bow re-hairs during the summer of 1999 and found that I quite enjoyed it. Dan Salini later refined my knowledge after which I was privileged to expand it even more by leanring from Joshua Henry, Jean Grumberger, and Robert Dow. We covered not only re-hairing but also tips, grips and leathers, repairs, and cambering and straightening. The latter truly require a delicate touch and good understanding of the wood and make of the bow."
