The Luthier

Viacheslav (Slava) Miniaev started his career as a concert violist, graduating from the world-renowned Moscow Conservatory of Music in 1982. After finishing his studies, Slava joined the Richercar Chamber Orchestra and over next 13 years played in premier symphony and chamber orchestras in Russia and Mexico.

In 1995, Slava moved with his family to the United States, settling in Kansas City. Throughout Slava's work as a violist, he had always harbored a passion for violin making, working on violin repair and modification since his conservatory days. While still living in Russia, Slava spent countless days reading all research and literature he could access on violin making, along with studying historical instruments at the Russian National Museum of Music and the National Collection of Unique Musical Instruments. After moving to the States, Slava was able to devote himself fully to luthiership, starting his work in Kansas City.

Over the next 15 years, Slava worked through every aspect of the instrument making process. For the last 20+ years Slava has specialized specifically in varnishing, spending thousands of hours pouring over old recipes and scientific analysis or Italian master instruments, and endlessly experiment to achieve the results he has today.

In 2005, Slava embarked on a new project, where over the next 5 years, he developed a portable, folding cello by the name of the Eliton c.ton. To learn more about this project, please visit Eliton.co.

Currently, Slava continues building new instruments (violins, violas and cellos), researching and experimenting with improved varnishing techniques, repair and restoration work for existing instruments, along with the Eliton project.

To contact Slava, please email him at slava@miniaev.com.