Thierry André
Artiste
luthier / Instrument maker
-Perhaps I have been able to distinguish myself so far by an interest as much for the origins of the stringed instrument, the tradition, as for a form of avant-garde and interpretation of instrument-making that we do not yet know.
I am an inveterate fan of music, painting, and visual arts. My first studio was also in an industrial building populated by artists; all this has rubbed off on me. The courage with which these artists presented their ideas and ideals, pushed me to clear a path similar to theirs-
Thierry André is an artist and luthier based in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli QC Canada.
A specialist in the steel-string acoustic guitar, his body of works also reflects his love for electric, -archtop-, and historical instruments. Recently nominated to the Archtop Collection -The Blue guitars-, his works display a distinctive and timeless character - His instruments expressing both tradition, creativity, and pure sonic performance.
Trained first at the Institute of Crafts of Quebec by André Brunet ('92-97), then apprenticed to Fred Carlson in California (2004), Thierry André is a many time artistic grant & prize recipient, notably with the CMAQ Jean-Marie Gauvreau Prize in 2020, and the CFCMA Fine Crafts Distinction Award in 2022.
André's work has evolved since his Montreal debut in 1998, from small experimental lute-like instruments made for local guitarists, exploring different materials (calabash, skin, carbon fiber, Japanese paper) as sound-boxes, to recent projects that embrace the evolution of the guitar itself (Sun-Moon-and Vibrations, Echoes of Time, -78-) in a form-oriented guitar-making approach that is now recognized internationally.
His work has been presented primarily in Germany, the United States, and Canada. His body of work currently comprises 124 instruments, part of both individual and private collections.
Strongly influenced by the work of his luthier-peers (Parker, Somogyi, Coppiardi, Lamarre), he devotes himself to guitar-making daily, now under the watchful eye of his six-year-old daughter, Clara.
Text by
A. Brunet, Director,
École de lutherie Guitare Bruand:
Through his work, André takes full ownership of the making of the guitar instrument: Under his hand, the guitar retains all of its function and historical quality, while is composition is constantly renewed.
Displaying formal, aesthetic, and distinct acoustic research, his expressive language addresses the entire object rather than its degree of ornamentation. André shares the making of the stringed instrument in a skillful act of creation, transcending the boundaries between fine crafts, art, and acoustic engineering.-
Trained first at the Institute of Crafts of Quebec by André Brunet ('92-97), then apprenticed to Fred Carlson in California (2004), Thierry André is a many time artistic grant & prize recipient, notably with the CMAQ Jean-Marie Gauvreau Prize (2020), the CFCMA Fine Crafts Distinction Award (2022). and his recent nomination as part of the iconic Archtop Foundation’s -The Blue guitars- Collection for 2025.
Tradition is the same as creation. Tradition is born because there is creativity, and creativity is born because there is tradition. It comes out in the passion and attitude
I have toward making my works.
T. André