Thierry André

Thierry André is an artist and luthier based in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli QC Canada.

A specialist in the steel-string acoustic guitar, his body of works also reflects his love for electric, -archtop-, and historical instruments. Recently nominated to the Archtop Collection -The Blue guitars-, his works display a distinctive and timeless character - His instruments expressing both tradition, creativity, and pure sonic performance.

Trained first at the Institute of Crafts of Quebec by André Brunet ('92-97), then apprenticed to Fred Carlson in California (2004), Thierry André is a many time artistic grant & prize recipient, notably with the CMAQ Jean-Marie Gauvreau Prize in 2020, and the CFCMA Fine Crafts Distinction Award in 2022.

André's work has evolved since his Montreal debut in 1998, from small experimental lute-like instruments made for local guitarists, exploring different materials (calabash, skin, carbon fiber, Japanese paper) as sound-boxes, to recent projects that embrace the evolution of the guitar itself (Sun-Moon-and Vibrations, Echoes of Time, -78-) in a form-oriented guitar-making approach that is now recognized internationally.

His work has been presented primarily in Germany, the United States, and Canada. His body of work currently comprises 125 instruments, part of both individual and private collections.

Strongly influenced by the work of his luthier-peers (Parker, Somogyi, Coppiardi, Lamarre), he devotes himself to guitar-making now under the watchful eye of his six-year-old daughter, Clara.