About My Makers: Angela Moneff

Angela Moneff varnishing a violin with a brush in her home workshopMaker Bio: Angela Moneff

Angela Moneff of the Kazanlak region or "Rose city" of Bulgaria, is among Eastern Europe's top women in luthierie. Her Bulgarian surname is "Angelina Moneva Stankova" but she labels her violins under her anglicized (English) trade name.

Angela Moneff was formerly a doctor, specializing in obstetrics. Her magnificently skilled surgeon hands proved essential as she took up luthierie as an apprentice under her luthier husband, Ivan Stankov who, in turn, studied with makers who graduated from the Cremona School in Italy in the early 1990s. She still brings babies into this world, but of the violin variety!

Ms. Moneff uses traditional Italian methods of construction and select well-seasoned European spruce and Balkans maple tone wood. Her stunning violins are finished in the method inspired by England's David Rubio where a pine-resin oil varnish is brushed over a special coat of mineral ground. This advanced varnishing technique was developed after many years of studying the genuine violins of Giuseppe Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari.

After many years crafting Ms. Moneff has arrived at the prestigious level of a "master" maker but she is continually innovating. As a colleague said in compliment of Moneff's refinements, "a real maker always struggles to improves his/her work, so it's a continuous process towards perfection."

Ms. Moneff shared with Fiddleheads, "Instrument making is a beautiful, charming magic. One has to have this craft in her heart."

Of her training she says, "For me it is exceptionally interesting and I try to improve all along myself. I am exalted and glowing with happiness to be taken by the luthier’s craft."

Fun fact: The couple's son Dani studied violin as a child and is now a talented young hip hop artist on YouTube. Ms. Moneff enjoys gardening and the family partakes in holidays at the Black Sea as life allows.

See Moneff Instruments Here