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This month I started making a new viola for a member of the National Art Centre Orchestra. We talked together about what kind of viola he was looking for and agreed on a comfortable 16" size, based on the violas by Andrea Guarneri from the late 17th Century. The...
The remaining tools from the Antonio Stradivari workshop are kept in the museum in Cremona - Museo del Violino. The tools give an interesting glimpse into the working practices used in the Stradivari workshop during the early 18th Century. Over the years, I've copied...
The luthier exhibition in Montreal from December gathered together violin and bow makers from around Canada. Organized by the violin shop Wilder & Davis, the main event was held in the room shown below, at the Chapelle historique du Bon Pasteur. . . . . ....
This year is Pinchas Zukerman's last season as music director with the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO). Over the past few years, my assistant and I have restored a number of the instruments in the Zukerman Instrument Collection at the NACO. While dealing with...
This Saturday December 6th, I will be in Montreal for the "Forum des Fabricants" - an exhibition of contemporary violins, violas, cellos and bows. The exhibition and concerts will take place at Chapelle historique du Bon Pasteur at 100 Sherbrook Street East. The event...
Sometime ago we were fortunate to have a beautiful Guarneri Del Gesu violin in the shop. We photographed and took measurements of it to keep on file. As I make instruments in the workshop I often refer to photographs and other information for inspiration or to copy. I...
This summer violinist Donnie Deacon purchased a violin I finished in 2012. Donnie Deacon has been principle of second violins with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada since 2001. As he played this violin for the first time, it was almost instantly a good fit...
This year I entered a violin in the International Violin Making Competition in Mittenwald, Germany. It is held every four years and this time the majority of violinmakers taking part came from Europe and some from Asia. I was the only violin maker from North America...
The recently publicized "Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins" has kept my email inbox busy for a few days now. With media headlines such as "Stradivarius Strung Out" or "Stradivari surprise..." the old vs. new blind tests have grabbed people's...
In September I finished the violin pictured below for a member of Canada’s National Art Centre Orchestra. It was based on the Guarneri violin, made in 1744 in Cremona and played by Norwegein violinist Ole Bull. The wood for the back of this violin was made from an old...