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On Saturday, January 14th, I will be visiting Toronto for an exhibition of Canadian violins, violas, cellos and bows! This is a great chance for string players in Toronto to try instruments and bows from the best award winning Canadian violin and bow makers. The...
In November I finished a violin for Ramsey Husser (2nd Assistant Concertmaster) of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. It was modelled after my usual Guarneri model, the 'Lord Wilton/Menuhin' Guarneri violin of 1742. As I have become accustomed to this model,...
This year I traveled twice to the US with instruments (violin & cello) to present for conferences and a competition. Similar to a touring musician, I planned to bring my instruments back to Canada with me. On my return and without proper documentation, Canada...
Every two years, the Violin Society of America holds an international violin making competition. 205 Violins, 109 violas, 67 cellos, 9 basses and 68 bows were entered from around the world to compete in Cleveland, Ohio in November. On Thursday evening, I was awarded...
This November the British magazine, the Strad, published an article on the summer program at the VSA/Oberlin College Violin Makers Workshop. I've attended this workshop in the United States, for a number of years, working alongside approximately fifty of my good...
Last year I finished making another metal plane for the workshop. It's based on a plane from the Museo del Violino (Cremona Museum) in Italy. It was part of a collection of tools from the Stradivari workshop purchased by Italian violin collector Count Cozio in the...
This week I finished a viola pictured below for the assistant principal violist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada. Often I am copying a particular old instrument or at least using one as an inspiration. The musician who commissioned this viola had his...
It's been enjoyable to see a few of our instruments finished recently. Below is a beautiful cello my assistant has just completed from her own workshop. The back and sides are made from poplar wood and it's based around a Cremonese Rugeri model. I'm pleased to have...
Our violin making workshop depends on many other businesses for materials and tools from around the world. In September I was in Italy and Germany selecting wood for future instruments. As well for example, I order violin parts from England or violin cases from the US...
Concert: Sunday Oct. 4th, 2-4pm Cadanza String Duo: Cello & Violin On Sunday, October 4th, from 2-4pm, an event organized by Tree Fest Ottawa will feature the Cadenza String Duo. Violinist Christian Vachon and cellist Greg Weeks both perform on a...