Eleftherios Konstantakis - Biography

My name is Eleftherios Konstantakis. I was born in 1957, in Voroi, a small village on the south coast of Crete, in the regional unit of Heraklion, where I still live and work.

I was the youngest child in a large family, the latest one born, as my father used to say.

We are five siblings, with two amazing parents, who gave us love, affection, material goods but most importantly, they taught us what was the right thing to do, how to respect the others and the true value of a united family, a relationship that still holds. When I was 12 years old, as soon as I finished primary school, I decided to become a painter, a job I practiced for 24 years. I served as a sergeant and a heavy-duty vehicle driver in the Greek Army (Military Engineering).

After a quite long relationship with Eleni Anagnostaki, a social worker, we finally got married when I was 36. Soon afterwards, we were blessed with two children, Nikoletta and Konstantinos. In 1995, soon after my wedding and despite my wife’s objections, I decided to change careers and get involved in the making of folk art artifacts, using olive tree wood, and a bit later I got into in the musical instrument making.

Over 10 years later, after numerous studies, infinite testing and discussions with artists and experienced luthiers, I am now a professional in the making of musical instruments.

I have made dozens of musical instruments so far and the clients, who have bought and still play my own musical instruments, are both amateurs and renowned professional artists. This is a substantial reward for me, but it is also a huge responsibility that makes me try even harder and keep looking for anything that may be better in terms of quality and sound.

I also make musical instruments exclusively from olive tree wood and I can guarantee for the construction and the good performance of my musical instruments for life, something that no other luther has ever attempted before, as far as the olive tree wood is concerned.

Even some instruments that have been made by amateurs have been constructed under my instructions and timber I have supplied.