Lydia Golde at Emmanuel Carlier's workshop

Lydia began her Prix Savoir-Faire internship in January 2025 as an apprentice bow maker. Hailing from Germany, she trained at a violin-making school in Mittenwald, Bavaria, before discovering her bow-making calling during an internship abroad.

After contacting Emmanuel Carlier to compete for the Savoir-Faire en transmission prize, she moved to Paris and began her collaboration with the bow-maker with an initial 4-month internship.

"I'm now well integrated into the workshop, with more responsibilities and more contact with customers," explains Lydia.

Since the 1980s, there have been no training courses for bow makers in France. The only way to train in this craft is to find a master who is willing to devote time to the trainee to pass on his or her know-how.
Emmanuel Carlier has already welcomed 3 trainees as part of the Savoir-Faire en transmission program since 2020.

" The relationship that develops between a master and a trainee is often quite strong, but welcoming someone is still a duty, a responsibility ".

For Emmanuel, the role of the apprentice master is to impart not only technical skills, but also a culture of the subject and historical references in the field of bow-making.

The bow maker's trade has two main focuses: the repair and maintenance of a bow, by changing the bit or one of its component parts. The second is the manufacture of new bows. Although it takes many years to learn the bowmaker's trade, Lydia is already able to welcome customers and take charge of bow repairs and bit changes.

It's exhilarating and very satisfying to see in the eyes of the person you've been supporting for a few months that they're proud to have succeeded.

Emmanuel now has more time to devote to bow making, and can delegate some of the repairs to Lydia. At the end of this one-year internship, Lydia and Emmanuel will continue their collaboration in the workshop.

Emmanuel Carlier, bow maker