With irony, chagrin and shame in equal measure, my lecture for the French Association des Luthiers & Archetiers Pour Les Development de la Facture Instrumentale was titled Life Before Brexit, a celebration of hundreds of years of co-prosperity between England and France in the violin trade. I even argued successfully that Jean Baptiste Vuillaume should be…

Always a great pleasure to look at original instruments and consider the challenges that they present to baroque playing. A delight to engage with the students at Guildhall School of Music and Drama for an afternoon of thinking about the instruments they play.

Always a great pleasure to interact with my American colleagues. In 2020 for the Violin Society of America Conference, I talked about violin making in Northern Europe – an extension of the conference that I had organised for the BVMA in 2019.

It’s always the greatest pleasure to lecture at the Cambridge Violin Making School’s summer course, and I try to make it for at least one of the weeks each year. The course attracts the most wonderful assortment of musicians – amateur and professional alike, academics from the university, and a good sprinkling of the unexpected…

  During the 2022 visit by Merton College students, known for their instrument repair course, I ensured they explored the Hill Collection and handled instruments in my workshop. As a unique addition, I always guide them to Trinity College’s chapel to admire Grinling Gibbons’ reredos. This visit provides a refreshing perspective on wood virtuosity beyond…

In the world of violins, expertise varies— a stellar soloist may lack in chamber music, an orchestral musician might struggle as a teacher. Similarly, in violin restoration, intense focus on repairs can overshadow the instrument’s significance. My annual identification lecture emphasizes foundational knowledge while recognizing the vastness of the field. Hence, I hope to illustrate…

Bringing original instruments for students to examine is critical to their learning and beyond what colleges are able to offer from their own resources. This lecture trip to West Dean College allowed the students to get close and personal to a viol, viola and violin by Barak Norman all made between 1690 and 1710, as…