Malcolm Collins cello #8, 1991

A prolific maker with an excellent eye and a steady hand, Malcolm Collins was actively making violins, violas and cellos up to his death in early 2025, at the age of 86. Like several other contemporary New Zealand luthiers, he received his initial training from seminal Hamilton maker, the late Ian Sweetman who passed on knowledge gained from time in Jacques Francais New York workshop as well as his own fertile experience.  This is a relatively early cello – Malcolm’s output reached the mid thirties by 2022 – but he already had a clear idea of the rich, warm tone he wanted from his Montagnana model which this cello delivers.