Hora comes to BIFE-SIM 2023 with the latest musical instruments and one of the first violins ever made

One of the surprises of BIFE-SIM 2023 is the presence of musical instrument manufacturer HORA. Benefiting from high quality resonance wood, skilled craftsmen and state-of-the-art technology, Hora Reghin produces more than 70,000 musical instruments a year, making it the largest wooden instrument factory in Europe. The first violins were made in Reghin in 1951, and one of the 37 violins made that year will be on display at BIFE 2023 for visitors to see. It is one of the few remaining from those early years. Other stringed instruments, ethno and percussion instruments, as well as newly designed instruments will also be on display in the stand.

Nearly 4.7 million instruments manufactured in over 72 years of activity

The tradition of making musical instruments began in Reghin with a small workshop of master Roman Boianciuc. Only 37 violins were made in the first year of the workshop's operation. Thanks to the mastery with which master Boianciuc and his 4 apprentices worked, the following year 435 violins were produced, the demand increasing due to the special tone offered by the good quality resonance wood they worked with. Towards the end of the 1950s the production of guitars, mandolins and traditional instruments from different countries began. In the 1960s, the small workshop gradually developed into an industrial manufacturer, with more and more different instruments being made.

Now, TIME produces around 70,000 musical instruments annually, including 8,000 bowed instruments - violins, violas, violas, double basses - and 60,000 plucked instruments - classical and acoustic guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis, ukuleles. More than 80% of production goes abroad to music lovers in over 100 countries in Europe, America and Asia.

At the end of 2022 the number of instruments manufactured by HORA had reached 4,675,949. The newest instrument produced is the SM 34 guitar, a totally new guitar - 2023 conception - not yet launched on the music market at home and abroad. It is a guitar that proves the great potential of the Reghin factory specialists.

Top quality wood and state-of-the-art equipment at HORA

The great advantage of the HORA musical instrument factory is that it has very high quality resonance wood, spruce and fir from the Carpathian mountains. The wood for musical instruments is more special. It must be old, of homogeneous structure with annual rings as regular as possible and without defects of any kind. This wood is stored in warehouses for 5-10 years for natural drying, acquiring lasting acoustic qualities and stability. Drying must be slow to avoid creating internal tensions.

Not only spruce and fir from our forests are used to make musical instruments, but also exotic woods. Exotic species such as ebony, rosewood, mahogany and red cedar give instruments a special look and sound. The high quality of the wood, combined with the skill of the specialists, the latest equipment and the latest technology for making musical instruments are the strengths that have made the factory so well known throughout the world.

Over the years, the mastery of the instruments has been recognized by renowned artists such as Ion Voicu, George Iarosevici, Sile Dinicu, Nicolae Botgros, Constantin Popescu, Gheorghe Zamfir, Radu Simion, artists who have brought joy to the soul by playing them. You have the opportunity to see the musical instruments produced by HORA, between 21-24 September, during the BIFE 2023 fair held at Romexpo, Bucharest.

BIFE-SIM 2023isorganizedfromROMEXPO,inpartnershipwithRomanian Furniture Manufacturers AssociationandRoomsfromTradeandIndustryCounty. It is the most important event of the year in the Wood Industry and brings together the entire industry of furniture, woodworking equipment and accessories.