About Emma Hardy
I’m Emma Hardy, a violin maker living in the Peak District, working from a Grade II listed Victorian cutlery works in Sheffield.
My instruments are shaped not only by traditional craftsmanship, but by time spent observing the natural forms and rhythms of the countryside. This relationship with the land is at the heart of Folk Who Roam, a project exploring the links between folk music and the right to roam for which I made a decorated ‘community fiddle’ that can be borrowed by local musicians and taken out into the countryside.
To create instruments that are durable, sound well and look beautiful requires rigorous training and dedication. I was trained in violin making at Merton College, London and following that, through placements with internationally renowned makers from across the UK, before setting up my own workshop.
I’m also the author of Folk Fiddle: Making, Crafting and Decorating, published by The Crowood Press in 2026.
Since 2018 I have been a committee member of the British Violin Making Association . I am also the BVMA’s Quarterly Magazine editor.
In 2020 I co-founded Strings Together – a learning orchestra for adult string players in East London.
In 2025 I was elected chair of the board of directors for the historic grade II listed Portland Works building in which my workshop resides.