Fascinated by travel and the art of craftsmanship, Sylvain Tournaire quickly fell in love with woodworking. After several years spent exploring the world, he returned to France, to Grenoble, where he met luthier Pascal Lavigne, and became his apprentice. In 2008, he was admitted to the Mittenwald International School of Violin Making in Bavaria where he trained with Ulrich Hinsberger. For his diploma, he made a violin inspired by A. Stradivarius' "Viotti" 1709, for which he received the jury's praise. He then perfected his skills in the restoration of old instruments at the Goldfuss workshop in Regensburg. In 2019 he got the Banque Populaire Foundation's Craftsman Award and he was appointed luthier at the Académie Jaroussky at the Seine Musicale.