For the academic world there are deep problems that arise from historic artefacts that are untethered from a record of provenance, and the violin is just such an object. How do we know if a Stradivari is genuine if we can’t trace its history all the way back to the maker’s hands? How do we…

My friend Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Viotti Lecturer in Performance Studies at the Royal Academy of Music approached me to do a joint film project funded by Research England’s Knowledge Exchange programme. I thought that would be a great idea but it would go further if we took the project to Newark School of Violin Making.…

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Violin Society of America lectures focussed around Andrea Amati and where it all begun. To contribute to the rare instruments exhibition I brought the 1572 Andrea Amati violin and a collection of books of poetry, history and classics published in Cremona during Andrea Amati’s lifetime. My lecture on…

I’ll be at lecturing at Oxford University for the Keble College Early Music Festival on 1 March this year. This is fast developing to be a really significant part of the early music calendar in Oxford. To heckle, tickets and program are available here: https://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/events/kemf-2025/ Slightly flummoxed by the generous write-up that they have given…

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…