Yannick van Hove
Harpsichord maker
Le Brassus

« It is very important that everything is done by hand. The hand has a memory, a gesture and an intelligence. »

As a child, Yannick van Hove visited stone and wood sculptor workshops in Italy with his parents. He draws his taste for manual work from it. After studying applied arts and fine arts, he did his apprenticeship in Villeneuve then worked with the cabinetmaker Ruffieux in Montreux. In 1988, he tackled harpsichord making with a master, Bruce Allen Kennedy, in Château-d’Oex.

« The real happiness of the instrumental invoice is the meeting, here in the workshop, with the musicians. »

Yannick van Hove’s specialty is the historical copying of harpsichords, bound clavichords, spinets and virginals, respecting the masters of yesteryear to restore the historical sound of the instrument as closely as possible. Its clientele is made up of professional performers and early music enthusiasts. He received the Thorlet Prize from the French Academy in 1994.

Diploma

1987 CFC carpenter cabinetmaker

Distinction

1994 Thorlet Prize, French Academy, Paris

Connections

Very beautiful portrait by Bryan Bigler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3JKlJNh-Q

https://valtv.ch/yannick-van-hove/