Mirecourt Lutherie and Bow Making Fair (SLAM)

Mirecourt, cradle of French lutherie since the 16th century

Nestled in the heart of the Vosges, Mirecourt is inseparable from the art of lutherie. From the end of the 16th century, artisans shaped violins, violas, and cellos there, laying the foundations for a tradition that would radiate throughout Europe. On May 15, 1732, a charter signed at the request of the Duchess of Lorraine, Élisabeth-Charlotte, established lutherie as a regulated profession, with its rules for transmission and commercialization. Mirecourt is the origin of the greatest names in French instrument making: Nicolas Lupot (1758-1824), nicknamed the "French Stradivarius" and luthier to King Louis XVIII, or Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875), collaborator of Niccolò Paganini and tireless promoter of Italian lutherie. Even today, the town is home to the National School of Luthier, the only public training center in France dedicated to string quartet instruments, created in 1970 on the initiative of luthiers Étienne Vatelot and Jean Bauer, as well as the Museum of French Luthier and Bow Making, founded in 1973.

SLAM: a living showcase of exceptional know-how

Born in November 2021 under the impetus of the Town of Mirecourt, the Community of Communes Mirecourt-Dompaire, and the association LAME (Luthiers Archetiers Mirecourt Événement), the Mirecourt Lutherie and Bow Making Fair quickly established itself as the unmissable event for instrument making in France. From its very first edition, nearly 600 visitors came to meet around thirty luthiers and bow makers from the Grand Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regions. Edition after edition, the fair has grown: the fifth edition in 2025 now brings together around fifty exhibitors from all over France and abroad, manufacturers of bowed and plucked string instruments, suppliers of wood, horsehair, rosin, and accessories, alongside the National School of Luthier and the Mirecourt Museum.

A unique sensory experience for musicians and music lovers

SLAM is not just an exhibition: it is an immersive experience at the heart of the crafts. Visitors can try out the instruments presented in specially arranged listening rooms, discuss wood types, varnishes, manufacturing techniques, and desired sounds with the artisans. Manufacturing demonstrations allow visitors to observe the precise gestures of a luthier shaping a spruce soundboard or a bow maker bending a pernambuco stick. Concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. offer artists the opportunity to make the presented instruments sing, creating a living link between the creator and the performer.

An event with national and European reach

Supported by the Department of Vosges, the Grand Est Region, and the European FEADER Leader program via the PETR of the Plaine des Vosges, SLAM contributes to the economic and cultural dynamism of Mirecourt. It attracts professional musicians, lutherie students, collectors, and enthusiasts from all over France and neighboring countries. The fair reinforces Mirecourt's position as a center of excellence for crafts and perpetuates an intangible heritage of over four centuries, inscribed in the very identity of the Vosges town.