The Beginnings

Gonçalo Cruz was born in Oporto, in the northern Portuguese coast in 1979.

Developing as a self-taught musician, he spent the last 20 years, studying the “Gaita de fole” - the Portuguese and Spanish bagpipe models. The meeting of Mr. Jürgen Ross (historical bagpipe maker) at a local festival in Germany 2003, led to a close friendship. Over the years, Gonçalo had found a mentor, that pushed him to creating his own workshop, in 2010, devoted to the making and selling of european bagpipes.

Given his background as a designer, Gonçalo soon became obsessed in solving the shortcomings he detected in the instruments, both as a professional piper and teacher.

Soon the workshop was visited by fellow researchers, students and musicians keen on discussing tradition, science and custom musical instruments that suited their needs. This engaging cultural environment also attracted non pipers, music lovers, scholars, designers and engineers, artists and craftsman, institutions and private business, media outlets…

It was clear by now that GaitaMaker extended must further than the limits of the bagpipe making atelier, and touched people beyond the small piper community...   It was a cause.

GaitaMaker non profit had been born.