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Trips
Cutting Wood for Violin and Cello Tops

Cutting Wood for Violin and Cello Tops

Last month I had the opportunity to fill a gap in my luthier's education. Even during the Redwood Violin project where I made a violin from scratch, I did not cut and process my own wood, yet this is something that some violin makers do for themselves, and I had...

Mexico. A short trip with a violin in a box

Mexico. A short trip with a violin in a box

As part of the Violinabox project I carried the violin down to Mexico. The first stop was to visit Damian Stoppani, one of the most unusual violinmakers you'll ever come across. Originally from Villa Constitución, Argentina, Damian now lives and works in a 1970's...

Making violins in Tepoztlan, Mexico

Making violins in Tepoztlan, Mexico

A month in Mexico. In the pursuit of a deeper knowledge, in the hope of recharging the creative batteries, and for a simple love of travel, I spent October in Mexico with violin maker Maestro Ernesto Ramirez. In his beautiful workshop in Tepotzlan, near Mexico City,...

Oberlin Violinmakers Workshop

Oberlin Violinmakers Workshop

For many years I have wanted to attend the annual, two week,Violin Making Workshop at Oberlin, Ohio. It attracts makers from all over the world and this year was  attended this year by sixty violin makers and about a dozen bow makers. With so much talent and...

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

I recently fulfilled an old dream: to deliver an instrument to a musician in an exotic part of the world. Daniel Prazeres is principal viola at the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira,  in Rio de Janerio. He has been searching for a viola with particular rich and dark tone...

On the Road

On the Road

I will be in Houston TX for four days 2/20 - 2/24 with recent instruments available to try. Please contact me to arrange a viewing, let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see,  or just to say "Hello!"

VSA 2014 – Silver Medal for Cello Tone

VSA 2014 – Silver Medal for Cello Tone

Violin Society of America holds an annual conference and every second year the conference is combined with an international violin making competition. This week long event is a great place to pick up inspiration for new things to try, to look for answers to questions...

Traveling Salesman

Traveling Salesman

No violin maker that I know relishes the sales part of the job, given a choice I'd rather be at the bench, making the next instrument, the instrument which will surely answer some of the many questions that I still have about the best way to do things. However reality...

Moreland Violin Shop, Battleground, WA

Moreland Violin Shop, Battleground, WA

I took a working vacation at Mark Moreland’s Violin Shop in Battle Ground, Washington, spending two weeks working on a fiddle while Mark worked on a new cello for a Singapore client and took care of his normal day to day business. Apart from the social call I had...