Portuguese luthier Antonio Capela was born in 1932 in Espinho. He began making violins under the guidance of his father, Domingos Ferreira Capela (1904-1976). In 1961, Antonio traveled to Paris to apprentice at Étienne Vatelot's famous workshop. From 1964-1965, he attended the International School of Violin Making in Cremona, where he studied under Pietro Sgarabotto and Simone Fernando Sacconi. Capela's instruments have won numerous awards, including first prize medals for violins in 1965 and 1969 in Cremona, and in 1972 at the Wieniawski competition in Poznan, Poland.
