A Modern Polish Violin By Jan Bobak, 1995.

Jan Bobak (b. 1951) graduated from the Technical High School of Violin Making in Nowry Targ in 1969 and spent the following year apprenticing with Jan Pawlikowski in Krakow. He established independently in 1981 but worked for William Harris Lee in Chicago from 1985-1987, where he further honed his skills under the tutelage of Tetsuo Matsuda, a graduate of the Cremona International Violin Making School. During this period, Bobak also collaborated with several respected contemporary luthiers, including Michael Darnton, William Whedbee, Gary Garavaglia, Vanna So, and Bronek Cisoń.  He received first prize at the 1986 International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Making Competition in Poznań. He established The Bobak Violino Workshop upon his return to Poland, which his son, Grzegorz Bobak, trained in sculpture and violin making—studying at the Chicago School of Violin Making, now runs. Jan Bobak is one of the most celebrated Polish makers of the modern era.