Roman was born in Zakopane, Poland, a town renowned for tourism, art, and woodworking. Though his father, a skilled woodworker, taught Roman the art of precise woodworking and tool-sharpening techniques, Roman dreamed of becoming a musician as a child. He began music lessons at age nine and, a year later, was accepted into the music school in Zakopane, where he excelled in his studies.
At twelve, he discovered violin making, which gradually redirected his career from aspiring musician to violin maker and restorer. He was accepted into the violin making school in Zakopane, where he gained a solid foundation in traditional violin making and expanded his knowledge by frequently visiting the ateliers of local violin makers.
After graduating with honors, Roman continued his studies at the Ignacy Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland, where he honed his skills in violin making and restoration while also playing the upright bass. Upon graduating, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree with honors.
Roman first arrived in the U.S. in 1994, where he met the owners of Psarianos Violins in Troy, Michigan. He later worked at the firm for over nine years, specializing in violin restoration and the making and designing of violins and violas. He studied under Hans J. Nebel and Boyd Paulsen and regularly participates in the Oberlin Violin Making Workshop. Roman has collaborated with acclaimed European makers and restorers at prestigious ateliers, such as Maison Bernard in Brussels and Eric Blot in Cremona. Among his notable commissions was a replacement Gaspar da Salò viola for the late Nathan Gordon, former Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, one of Roman’s violins earned a Certificate of Merit for tone at the 2010 Violin Society of America competition.
Since 2006, Roman has been a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. He has also served as a judge at the International Violin Making Competition in Poland. Roman teaches at the North Bennet Street School, serving as violin making department head and sharing his expertise in violin making and restoration. Concurrently, he collaborates with a team of MIT scientists on violin acoustics research, which led to the publication of a peer-reviewed paper, “The Evolution of Air Resonance Power Efficiency in the Violin and Its Ancestors,” in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.
Among Roman’s students and graduates are highly successful violin makers and restorers who now work for top violin shops worldwide and have received prestigious awards for their instruments.
Besides violin making, Roman enjoys music, hiking, and skiing.
