"Being an intern frees me: I have the right to take the time to learn in a workshop that suits me" - Jeanne Gascon

Jeanne Gascon, winner of the 2022 Savoir-faire en transmission awards, did her internship in the Sifasilajouer workshop with Mélanie Kaltenbach, in the 13th district of Paris.

Already as a child, Jeanne wanted to be a violin maker. After high school, however, she decided to pursue general studies: a literary preparatory class, then studies in History and Cultural Project Management. She then began a career in show production with the choreographer Blanca Li. At the same time, her desire to make violins never left her, so she enrolled in an amateur course and began to make a violin. After several internships and meetings with professionals in the field, she entered the École Nationale de Lutherie de Mirecourt where she spent two years and obtained her CAP. However, she chose to complete her training in a workshop, convinced that she would learn the most in a professional setting. She then applied for the Savoir-faire en transmission awards.

"I felt an urgency to be in the studio full time. Retraining pushes us to the edge because time is more precious to us than ever: it pushes us to listen to ourselves and make choices that are not always obvious, but that seem the most relevant to us."

Jeanne Gascon


Upon her arrival, Jeanne began with a restoration on her own instrument. She took the opportunity to discover techniques and make improvements that had never been done on the inside of her violin before. As time goes by, she accompanies Mélanie Kaltenbach on specific productions: "The clients' instruments that come to the workshop over time give each of us the opportunity to open or deepen a chapter that we had to tackle during my training, it's great!

Mame Bousso
Mame Bousso

During her internship, Jeanne discovered new ways of doing her job, more concrete and less academic: "This internship is very dense! Since I arrived, the activity of the workshop has allowed us to approach many different subjects".

When discussing future prospects with Jeanne, her heart sways between creating from scratch and catering: "Right now, both are pretty much in my head! I'm curious to see the opportunities that will allow me to make a choice."

In pictures

Mame Bousso

Mame Bousso

Mame Bousso

Mame Bousso