‘Toon’s wooden creations are magical. He displays as much skill in building ‘historically justified’ as he does in building from scratch and thinking out of the box according to the project.’ Floris De Rycker
‘Wood – wizzard‘Aram Van Ballaert
‘The instruments of Toon look great and sound excellent. His replicas of historical guitars are a welcome addition to the world of historical informed implementational practice. Because Toon is a great guitar player himself, his set up is at the cutting edge of the string.‘Dirk De Hertogh
Toon Lauwers

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Toon Lauwers

Toon Lauwers started as a young guitar player at the music academy in Bornem with Jurgen De Bruyn and progressed to Dé Kunsthumaniora in Antwerp with Robert Denies. But in 2004, guitar making took over everything. Toon started studying at the International Lutherie School in Antwerp with Geert Vermeiren, among others, and at the Centre for Musical Instrument Building in Puurs with Marc Peirelinck, Walter Verreydt and Dirk De Hertogh, among others. At the same CMB, Toon got the chance to participate in the Leonardo Guitar Building Project with a focus on building guitars in sustainable and non-tropical woods. This was followed by a René Lacôte project in which these 19th-century guitars were measured and replicated.

In parallel to the CMB path, he studied guitar and baroque guitar with Dirk De Hertogh at the Music Academy of Willebroek.

From 2011 to 2019, Toon taught summer courses in musical instrument making at Muziekmozaïk 's 'Traditionale stage voor volksmuziek'. An internship where he himself first came into contact with musical instrument making as a child under the guidence of Roger Frood, Gerrit Van den Dries and Herman De Wit.

In 2012, Toon became an independent musical instrument maker with a workshop in Hingene (Bornem), specialising in historical and classical guitar making. This allowed him to work with Jurgen De Bruyn (Zefiro Torna), Floris De Ruycker (Ratas del Viejo Mundo), Aram Van Ballaert, Dirk De Hertogh, Ieva Baltmiškyte, Philippe Malfeyt, Björn Schmelzer (Graindelavoix), Maarten Vandenbemden, Museum Vleeshuis, Colin H. Van Eeckhout (Amenra) and many others.

Through the Passing on Craftsmanship grant, Toon was able to participate in the 'Hakkebord Construction Project' (2019 -2021) and started a similar project in 2024, Rietpraat - documenting and replicating Baroque musette reeds.

Since 2020, Toon combines his workshop with teaching musical instrument making at KASK & Conservatorium Hogent and at the Center for Musical Instrument Building in Puurs (2020 -2024).

Contact Toon

Toon Lauwers

Louis De Baerdemaeckerstraat 67A

2880 Hingene (Bornem)

Belgie

info@toonlauwers.be

+32 498 05 69 95

VAT/BTW : BE 0849.832.242

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