Benjamin Hebbert

Benjamin Hebbert should have given up the violin as a child. He didn’t and it now consumes his life. In a career over more than 20 years, he trained as an instrument maker, ran the instrument making course at West Dean, became European Specialist Head of Sale of the musical instrument department of Christies, and worked in the curatorial team at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – all before deciding to work for himself from his studio in central London. In his spare time, he is perpetually writing his doctoral thesis at Oxford University on dead violin makers, and after being talked into being the Chairman of the British Violin Making Association can’t get out. He is also a reality TV star, making his television debut in the 2011 documentary Scrapheap Orchestra which received BBC4’s highest viewer ratings ever. He knows about stuff.