Kruno Kupresanin, owner and luthier, is a native of Zagreb, Croatia now residing in Amarillo, Texas. As a luthier, he has worked in several violin shops in the United States, including String Shop of Arizona and George Robinson Violins, before opening his own violin shop in Amarillo in 2008.
Kruno learned the craft of violin making from renowned instrument maker, Zoran Stilin, assistant to the late Karl Roy, the director of the Mittenwald School of Violin Making in Germany.
Kruno was the Grand Prize winner for his violin in the Bob Wallace Competition for Violin Makers Association of Arizona International (VMAAI) in 2011. Kruno also won the Gold Medal award for tone with his viola at VMAAI in 2014. In 2021, Kruno’s cello was awarded the Gold Medal for Tone and the Gold Medal for Workmanship at VMAAI.
In 2023, Kruno won the Gold Medal for Violin Tone in the Southern Violin Association Competition in North Carolina.
Most recently in 2023, Kruno was awarded several medals with different instruments at the VMAAI Competition. His violin earned the gold medal for tone and also won the Bob Wallace Award for the best sounding violin in show. His viola earned the gold medal for tone, and his cello earned the double silver medal for tone and workmanship.
Kruno earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Texas Tech University. He was the winner of the Texas Tech Concerto Competition in 2007 on the double bass.
Kruno remains active as a musician, performing with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music Amarillo. He has also performed with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra, and the Rijeka Opera. Kruno’s experience as a professional musician helps him better understand what a musician expects from their instrument.
