Sebastiano Ferrari started violin making in 2009, he began his studies at the Milan Violin Making School. He graduated with honour under the guidance of Paola Vecchio, Gabriele Negri, Lorenzo Rossi and Professor Claudio Canevari.

After completing his studies, he did an internship in a Violin Maker Workshop in Cremona.

He had the opportunity to actively collaborate in various projects conducted by the Non-Invasive Diagnostics Arvedi Laboratory of the Pavia University and the Milan Polytechnic at the Cremona Violin Museum, including: classification of materials used with purfling and stucco of 18th century Neapolitans mandolins; perceptual investigation and ontologies construction relating to sound classification perceptions; correlations between violin constructive elements and instrument timbre and acoustic characteristics.

In 2014 he won a scholarship awarded by the “Cologni Foundation for Arts and Professions” aimed at collaborating with the Cremona Violin Museum Scientific Laboratories and a Cremonese violin making workshop.

From 2016 to 2019 he was teacher of the “Construction and Varnishing course” at the Milan School of Violin Making.

For his updating and improvement, he often joins congresses, workshops and seminars, including:

Acoustic measurement in workshop; measurement of violin sound spectrum; fingerboard, tailpiece and bridge intonation; diagnosis problems and instrument characterization through rigidity and weight.
Relator: George Stoppani.
(Cremona 2013)

The strings influence in bow instruments.
Relator: Franz Klanner (Thomastik-Infeld technician)
(Cremona 2013)

Varnish studies in historical Italian bow instruments; macro and microscopic analysis on wood samples at different stages of varnishing.
Relator: Brigitte Brandmair, curator of “Stradivari Varnish” book.
(Cremona 2013).

“Knowledge for conservation”. International science workshop on bow musical instruments.
Relators:
•Marco Malagodi: University of Pavia, Arvedi Research Laboratory, scientific consultant.
•Claudio Canevari: University of Pavia, Arvedi Research Laboratory, scientific consultant, Violin Making school of Milan.
•Augusto Sarti: teacher of electronics and information department of Polytechnic University of Milan.
•Gianni Ferretti: Vice rector of Polo territoriale di Cremona, Polytechnic University of Milan.
•Mats Tinnsten: Mid-Sweden University.
•Enrico Ravina: University of Genoa.
•Jean Philippe Echard: Researcher in the restoration laboratory of Museum of Music in Paris
•Jayson Dobney: musical Instruments curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
•Frank P. Bar: Director of instrument collection in the Nuremberg Musical Instrument Museum.
•Arian Sheets: Curator of stringed instruments collection in the National Museum of Music (University of South Dakota)
(Cremona 2013)

Project collaboration conducted by the Arvedi Research Laboratory hosted by University of Pavia, for materials classification used in linings and filling of Neapolitan mandolins from half of eighteenth century. Photos of analysis and samples withdrawals for subsequent analysis with electron microscopy and spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), micro-fluorescence (Microft-IR) and stratigraphy.
(Pavia 2013)

Project collaboration conducted by Polytechnic University of Milan, hosted in Violin Museum of Cremona: investigation and ontologies studies for classification of sound.
(Cremona 2014)

Project collaboration conducted by Polytechnic University of Milan and Arvedi Research Laboratory, hosted in Violin Museum of Cremona: looking for correlations between the structural elements of the violin with the timbre and acoustic of the instrument.
(Cremona 2014)

Violas of Antonio Stradivari at Museo del Violino
Relators:Bruno Giuranna and Bruce Carlson.
(Cremona 2015)

Instruments by Guarneri del Gesu at Museo del Violino.
Relator: Gregg Alf
(Cremona 2015)

Instruments of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini at Museo del Violino.
Relator: Eric Blot
(Cremona 2015)

Violin arching design and construction method by Robert Zuger.
Relator: Robert Zuger
(Cremona 2017)

Today Sebastiano Ferrari is an internationally renowned luthier specialized in cello making. Since October 2022 he is the violin making construction course teacher – violin and viola (full-time) and cello (full-time masterclass).