VSA New Instrument Exhibit, Dallas, TX (2026)

12/10/2025

Wonderful year for the NIE, see you next year in Cleveland!

11/21/2025

Thank you to Kun for generously donating these beautiful Kun Bravo Shoulder Rests for violin and viola to this year’s VSA New Instrument exhibit. We are so happy to have Kun as a sponsor of this amazing event, highlighting modern makers!

Make sure to stop by and checkout these amazing shoulder rests as well as the instruments in our exhibit!

11/19/2025

The final exhibit spotlight of the year is Daniel Salini!

Come see Daniel’s work at the convention tomorrow!

Daniel has been in Utah for 30 years, where moved from Minneapolis in 1995. He works alongside many other local makers, where there is an environment of youthful, energetic creativity. He provides violins, violas, and cellos.
 In addition to new instruments, he provides adjustments, bow rehairs, and repairs. He has been in the trade for 30 years and continues to learn each day, and recently finding it liberating to play with dimensions and wood choice.

He considers himself very lucky to have worked with some of the best, including Jennifer Becker, Perry Daniels, Frederik Bethke, Gary Vessel, and John Young just to name a few. He has been told by many that he has a knack for adjusting and setting up instruments to reach the personal preference of the musician.

Daniel is also a player and grew up in a family of musicians, so his goal is to communicate with clients about ideas and concepts of sound, and then find the right playability for the individual. The sound and concept of his instruments is to provide an instrument that is easy to play and has a character to the sound which both projects and has warmth. He plays steel guitar, guitar and fiddle. He has been lucky to know so many great musicians locally and nationally. These days he just enjoys playing at home with the occasional gig out on the town.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/19/2025

Exhibit spotlight featuring the work of David Burgess

David Burgess was born in Princeton, New Jersey, USA in 1953. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and his mother was a pianist, organist, piano and organ teacher, and college music theory professor. David started playing piano at the age of three, and violin when he was five. He started working in a violin shop at the age of fourteen, and when he was 18, was hired by the firm of Hans Weisshaar and Son, doing repairs, restoration and some making, and where he eventually became head of the repair shop. David currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, making new instruments exclusively, and makes his own models as opposed to copying prior work.Burgess was the first American to win the Trienalle Competition in Cremona, Italy.By the age of 31, Burgess had received 14 Gold Medals or First Place awards in international instrument making competitions (as well as many other awards). Having amassed an unprecedented number of awards, and finding himself barred from further participation in two competitions due to limits on the number of awards given to one maker, he decided to retire from competition. Though he was young and competed for only a short time, this record has never been matched.Has served as a judge for the Violin Society of America International Competitions, the “Antonio Stradivari” international violin making competition in Cremona (the Triennale), the China Competition, and the Moscow Competition.Instruments in the permanent collection of the Stradivari Museum in Cremona, Italy and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/18/2025

Exhibit spotlight of the day is Will Richardson

Will is a luthier, bow maker, and professional cellist. He graduated from the Red Wing Violin Repair program in 2009 and has attended courses through Learning Trade Secrets and the University of New Hampshire Craftsmanship Institute. He is the proprietor of Richardson Violins and does work for various shops in the Twin Cities. He is a freelance cellist as well as instructor at North Star Cello Academy.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/17/2025

Exhibit spotlight of the day is Garth Lee

For as long as he can remember, Garth has been involved in music and woodworking and is passionate about the creative process of making instruments from the violin family. Garth trained at the prestigious Newark School of Violin Making in England. During this time he had the opportunity to study violins, violas, and cellos from the workshops of Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati, and others. These occasions inspired Garth in his own work and he went on to graduate with Distinction and the Highest Honours awarded in more than five years. This achievement was made possible in part by mentorship from Glen A. Collins. Garth Lee Strings was established in Winnipeg in 2008 and quickly gained the respect of the local professional string community and beyond. Garth’s instruments are played by professional musicians throughout Canada as well as England, South Africa, Norway, and New Zealand. He is a member of the Violin Society of America and enjoys attending the world renowned Oberlin College Violin Making Workshop. Garth maintains a strong commitment to the community by volunteering his time to do repair work for Sistema Winnipeg, a highly-respected program aimed at using music for social change.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/17/2025

Exhibit spotlight of the day is Marilyn Wallin

The viola presented is an original model, a fantasy designed with ease of playability and a wide tonal palette in mind. Wallin earned a Performance Degree in Viola with Wm. Preucil, Sr. in 1978. She attended the Kenneth Warren and Son Violin Making School under the tutelage of Tschu Ho Lee from 1978-1981. She completed her journeyman period at Bein and Fushi Rare Violins, made instrument in her home studio, and returned to the school to complete her requirements for graduation from the Chicago School of Violin Making in 1985. Wallin made 60 cellos. She has completed over 125 violins, and 150 violas and continues to create more of both. Most violins are modeled after Guarneri “del Gesu”. Her viola models are widely varied in size and style. Some are as small as 15 1/4”, or as large as 16 ¾”. Some are modeled on Italian masterpieces, but most are inventions based on the contemporary ever-evolving needs of professional musicians. Her father, uncles, and grandfather were cabinet makers and carpenters. Her great-grandfather was Johann Wallin, a violinmaker. She taught at North Bennet Street School in Boston from 1986 until 1998, then opened the Boston Violin Maker Co-operative and shared the shop with many great colleagues. Next was the Emerson Umbrella, as an artist-in-residence. She has volunteered for the Violin Society of America since 1995, and for the AFVBM. She remains deeply appreciative to her primary teachers and mentors Tschu Ho Lee, Robert Bein, Wm. H. Lee, Christopher Reuning, Philip Kass, and all who have given her valuable advice at key points in the development of her work. She works in two studios, one in her home in Lincoln, Nebraska and the other at Spencer Brook Strings in Maynard, MA.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/15/2025

Exhibit spotlight featuring Corinne Hopkins

Corinne is a violin maker and restorer living in Chicago, working full time at Bein and Fushi and making violins in her free time. Before moving to Chicago for violin making school in 2021, Corinne worked for many years at a full service violin shop in Rochester, NY where she also studied cello and earned a Bachelor of Arts in music.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/15/2025

Exhibit spotlight featuring work by Shaun Fosdick

In high school I started playing guitar and building mandolins in my free time. With more aptitude and lets face it more of a desire to work on instruments than play them I decided to attend Red Wing in 2006 switching my focus to violins. From there I have continued my education and experiences through workshops, Oberlin and American Lutherie Institute Summer Restoration Programs. Often I use different woods based on historical precedent and working characteristics to give wider and different range of tonal colors. Lately I have been managing the workshop of St. Louis Strings. My family and I live in our hometown of St. Louis Missouri where I make, repair and restore violins.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

11/14/2025

Exhibit spotlight of the day is Mason Weedman

Since 2007, Mason has been immersed in the world of stringed instruments, specializing in both making and restoring. In 2011, he became part of the Givens Violins workshop in Minneapolis, working and collaborating with some of the industry’s highly regarded makers and restorers. In 2018, he joined Robertson and Son’s Violin Shop in Albuquerque, where he was in charge of cello repair and restoration. Here, he had the privilege of working alongside exceptional makers and musicians and being entrusted with the maintenance and restoration of truly invaluable instruments. In 2023, Mason established his own workshop in southeast Minnesota, with a primary focus on crafting new instruments. Mason has won multiple awards from various international making competitions, including 2 silver medals for bass workmanship and certificates of merit for violin workmanship, bass workmanship, bass tone and viola tone.

11/14/2025

Exhibit spotlight featuring work by Shalom Michaeli

Shalom has spent a lifetime perfecting his craft. He started his Violin Maker career in Moscow (Russia) at the age of 17 years old under the supervision of famous maestro Denis Yarovoi, who was trained by A Monterumici in Bologna, Italy and subsequently by Giuseppe Fiorini in Munich. A genuine passion for the elegance and warmth of old Italian instruments inspires every craftsmanship choice that S. Michaeli make during the process of violin making. Shalom Michaeli runs his studio in St Paul from 1999 where he creates violins, violas and cellos following the system and principles of multitone tuning of violin plates of classical school of Italian violin makers.

11/13/2025

Exhibit spotlight today is Nicholas Moen

Nick is a graduate of Hampshire College with a concentration in music theory and composition, and graduated from the Violin Repair program at Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing in 2017. He joined the team at the Paul A Schmitt Violin Shop shortly after, and has been responsible for managing the professional level repairs, set-ups and day-to-day operations of the shop since 2023. In his spare time, he makes violins in his basement - this is his third.

VSA New Instrument Exhibit

12/10/2025

11/21/2025

11/19/2025

11/19/2025

11/18/2025

11/17/2025

11/17/2025

11/15/2025

11/15/2025

11/14/2025

11/14/2025

11/13/2025

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