Bringing the industry together is a calling
He was still just a young boy when he began playing guitar and singing together with his parents in Petrikirken, only a few hundred meters from where he grew up — and where he still lives today. His interest in music was further strengthened when he received a Gibson SG and a Vox AC30 as a confirmation gift. Little did he know then that the spark ignited would become what I would claim is a calling: to preserve and carry forward the cultural heritage found in the building and restoration of musical instruments. Now, he wishes to devote the next eight years of his life to uniting the industry and establishing a school that ensures this vital knowledge does not disappear with the masters who hold it.
A crisis across Europe Sitting here in a furnished room above his garage — surrounded by every imaginable musical instrument — the former principal explains the severe shortage of instrument builders and skilled repairers across many instrument groups throughout Europe. Studies and surveys he has conducted in recent years confirm what he feared: many of these professions are on the verge of dying out. If action is not taken now, it will soon be too late. During his many journeys to instrument makers across the Nordic countries, numerous highly skilled craftsmen have expressed the same concern. For many of them, it is difficult to take on apprentices because they run one-person businesses, and most therefore share Arnfred’s vision of establishing a solid professional education.
Choosing the same profession
Arnfred and I grew up so close to each other that I could hear him playing acoustic guitar when the windows were open — and he could hear my flute melodies. We shared many common meeting points growing up: Petrikirken, Scouts, Ten-Sing, and active play in the neighborhood. But by coincidence, we would also end up choosing the same profession.
In 1975, I began my apprenticeship as a musical instrument maker at Tonika AS on Youngstorget in Oslo, and Arnfred started at Bible School in the same city. Since I played the flute and he the guitar, we would sometimes meet at his student apartment to play music together. One day, he joined me on a visit to the workshop on the top floor of the old, venerable building in Youngsgata — and the small seed that had once been planted received new nourishment.
Germany and the United States
The following year, Arnfred chose to turn down a place at the Music Conservatory in favor of an apprenticeship at the highly respected Cappelen Musikk workshop. This led to several periods of training in Markneukirchen, which at that time was part of East Germany. The city — renowned for more than 400 years as a center for the making of orchestral instruments, guitars, pianos, accordions, electronics, and church organs — completely captivated him.
Here, the young boy from Helgeberget quickly understood that only one thing truly mattered: knowledge. He absorbed everything he learned and realized that if he was going to help carry out, preserve, and pass on the profession, he would need to learn from — and surround himself with — the finest experts he could find. That principle has remained his mantra throughout his life.
He later continued his studies on the other side of the Atlantic as well, at the renowned Getzen Company and Allied Music in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
After a long apprenticeship in Norway, Germany, and the United States, Arnfred opened his first workshop in 1984 — applying everything he had learned, with quality and craftsmanship as the highest priorities. Four years later, the country’s first school for musical instrument makers opened its doors. He collaborated closely with leading experts in Markneukirchen through exchange programs, and students were able to earn a German journeyman’s certificate. Students from all over the world came to the school to learn, and many professionals in the field today received their education at the Musical Instrument Academy (MIA). The school operated for 26 years, and both at Jeløya and later within the Cultural Quarter in Sarpsborg, it became a meeting place for concerts, lectures, and masterclasses with national and international luminaries. This is something Arnfred remains deeply passionate about — creating environments and arenas where people with an interest in music, across the many branches of the profession, can come together to exchange experience, discuss, listen, and learn. A new school will most certainly be such a place.
The creative instrument maker also has a solid musical background. He studied at Kjell Stensvik’s Music School and had Professor Sven Lundestad as his guitar teacher. He drew inspiration from collaborations with prominent figures such as Søren Gangfløt and, not least, Egil Hovland. He trained in classical singing before his voice changed, and as a performing musician he explored nearly every genre — choir, pop, rock, jazz, and gospel. His time in Sarons Dal during his youth also played a significant role in shaping the believer Arnfred Marthinsen is today. He still plays guitar at a high level and continues to write music, often as a declaration of his love for God.
It is rooted in his faith — and his love for music — that I dare say the task he is now taking on is a calling; something that gives deeper purpose to his life. His mission is to unite the profession and establish a school that ensures an industry-driven education for skilled craftspeople — professionals who can carry thousand-year-old traditions into the future. The vision is grounded in sustainability, and in the belief that people should always have access to expert instrument building, repair, maintenance, and restoration close to where they live — upheld by knowledge, quality, and collaboration.
“Together we are strong,” he emphasizes — as steady as the very rock we are sitting on during this conversation. “On our own, it is difficult to accomplish anything.” There is no doubt that an international school in the Nordic region — with students from all over the world — will become a reality. The only question is where it will be located. hver for oss er det vanskelig å utrette noen. At det kommer en internasjonal skole i Norden og en utdanning for elver fra hele verden er det ingen tvil om, så får vi se akkurat hvor det blir.