Was born in Ulm (Germany) on 22 April 1968. She became fascinated by music and woodworking when she was still young.
In 1987 she built her first instrument (Viola da gamba) under the supervision of the late Tibor Ehlers in a small village in the Black Forest.
From 1988-1992, after having finished highschool in '87, she trained as a violin maker at the International School of Violin Making "I.P.I.A.L.L." Antonio Stradivari in Cremona (Italy).
After achieving her diploma and also this of repairing and restoring stringed instruments, she stayed for another two years in Cremona making new instruments and attending a bow making course.
She then worked for almost one year with the master violin maker Martin Michalke in Oldenburg (Germany).
From 1995 until 2000 she worked for Serge Stam, master violin maker and expert in Utrecht (Netherlands), where she had the opportunity to see, study and work on important antique instruments.
At present she lives and works in Cremona, where she opened her own atelier in 2001. Besides restoring, she mainly concentrates on making new violins, violas and cellos inspired by the classical Cremonese masters.
In 2002 she got her diploma as a "Geigenbaumeister" (Master Violin Maker) and in 2003 she was honoured for her outstanding performance in that exam.
Hildegard Dodel is member of following associations: ALI, BVMA, VSA.