2025 Convention - Minneapolis

Kevin Akin

I have been building digital models of roads and bridges for decades while working as a Land Surveyor. These models were created using laser measurements and large scale aerial photography. The end product was used in CAD and design programs by engineers. These technologies increased the speed of measuring but came with benefits and issues that users must understand. I attended the Violin School of America as a second career and graduated in 2017. While there I was first exposed to the Strad 3D project and CT scanning of instruments. The CT scan DICOM files from the Library of Congress were available and I started exploring the data. I have no previous training in CT scanning or medical terminology. It was a long and tedious process to create an STL file the first time. I am continuing to explore CT scan data and what questions to ask.

Bruce Babbitt

Bruce began to take interest in violins and bows in London studying at the School of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art. After receiving his MA (FCA) in 1974 e endeavored to grow a business while still keeping an eye on art and teaching. The subsequent 50 years brought many travels, adventures, dealings, friendships and a desire to learn through research. He has served on the Board of Directors of The VSA, was the VSA representative and speaker in Markneukirchen in 2019 at Connected by Music and History, is an Affiliate of the AFVBM and currently serves on the board of Directors of the National Music Museum. He is the author of five books of poetry, Markneukirchen Violins and Bows, Wanderer/Wonderer, and co-author and publishing coordinator of VSA publications The British Bow, The German Bow, Artistic Violins and Bows, and the newly released book The Bromberg Collection of American Violins. Bruce continues to focus mainly on research, sharing information however he can, and mentoring anyone interested.

Nathan Benning

Born and raised in the Benning family workshop, fourth-generation luthier Nathan Benning crafted his first violin at age 13. The son of violinmaker Eric Benning, grandson of Hans and Nancy Benning, and great-grandson of bass craftsman Paul Toenniges, Nathan grew up immersed in the traditions of fine violin making and restoration. He attended the Hans Nebel Violin Restoration Course in Massachusetts and studied bow restoration with Lynn Hannings and Ole Kanestrom. Since 2018, he has been a regular participant in the Oberlin Restoration Workshop, and in 2024 he trained under Jan Strick and Pierre Guillaume at Maison Bernard in Brussels. Nathan serves professional musicians throughout Southern California, where he continues to refine his approach to efficient, high-quality repair work grounded in both tradition and modern innovation.

David Bromberg

David Bromberg, of New York City, is a revered American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, violin maker, dealer, and collector. A graduate of the Chicago School of Violin Making, he has played an important role in both the retail and wholesale sectors of the violin trade. Notably, David has made significant contributions to advancing the knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of American violins.

Anya Burgess

Anya Burgess owns Sola Violins, a full-service violin shop in Lafayette, Louisiana. She’s served on the VSA Board since 2020 as Chair of the Membership & Marketing Committee. Anya also plays the fiddle in two Grammy-nominated Cajun bands, Bonsoir Catin and the Magnolia Sisters.

Lisbeth Butler Nelson

Lisbeth grew up in the Midwest and started violin lessons at age 10. She chose to attend the University of Wyoming and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. She attended the VMSA and was one of the first two women graduates. She ran her own repair shop and played professionally in Des Moines, Iowa, for nine years before accepting a position teaching Violin Repair at Red Wing Technical College. She retired in 2016.

Andrew Dipper

Andrew is a distinguished restorer, historian, writer, and sculptor. Trained in London and Cremona, he founded Dipper Restorations in 1975 and later joined Claire Givens Violins, Inc. in Minneapolis. A consultant to the Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments and honorary board member of the National Music Museum, Dipper is internationally recognized for his scholarship, important translations, and restoration work, found in notable public and private collections worldwide.

Rich Dodson

Rich Dodson's appreciation of American violins began early in his interest in violins. Years of attending instrument auctions in Boston and elsewhere exposed him to examples of instruments made by accomplished American makers.

Rich was a part of the assembling and presenting violins for the VSA exhibition of American violins in 2017.

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.

Brandon Godman

Brandon Godman is a professional fiddler and luthier who currently resides in San Francisco, CA. He is the proprietor of two violin shops- The Fiddle Mercantile in San Francisco, CA and The Violin Shop in Nashville, TN. He regularly performs on the road with Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artist Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, and is a co-host of the luthier podcast OMO. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Violin Society of America since 2020.

Jennifer Halenar

Jennifer Halenar is a Nashville, TN based luthier with 23+ years of experience in repair and making, specializing in five-string violins and traditional builds.

Lynn Hannings

Formerly President of the IPCI-USA, Lynn is currently the Vice-President of the International Alliance of Violin and Bow Makers for Endangered Species (Alliance). As musician, teacher and bow maker/restorer Lynn is committed to expanding knowledge in the greater musical community of the importance of conservation efforts that protect the species used in our crafts for the future of those species and for the future of our valuable musical traditions.

Andrew Hassel

Andrew Hassel is a bassist, luthier, and owner of Chicago Bass Works. He attended Elmhurst University earning a degree in Music Education and Jazz Studies in 2008. After three years of teaching in public schools he accepted a position at Kenneth Stein Violins where he was first introduced to luthierie and met his mentor William Whedbee. He worked at a large band and orchestra shop repairing school instruments and rentals while completing an apprenticeship with Whedbee from 2013-2016; finishing his first double bass in 2015. He has been a participant and presenter at several International Society of Bassist conventions and a participant of the Oberlin Bass Maker’s Workshop. He has since opened Chicago Bass Works, which serves a large population of professional and amateur bassists in the greater Chicago area, as well as building new double basses. He lives with his wife Sara and their three children in Matteson, IL.

Will Howery

Blending decades of software engineering with the art of violin making, Will Howery bridges technology and craftsmanship. After designing enterprise systems at Oracle and BEA, he turned his focus to building and restoring fine string instruments.

A long-time VSA member and owner of Howery Violins, Will sought a solution to the industry's CITES and Lacey Act challenges and developed Instrument Passport, a digital platform that helps luthiers, musicians, and suppliers manage provenance, maintain instrument history, ensure compliance, and preserve the stories behind every instrument.

In Kyu Hwang

In Kyu Hwang discovered his passion for violin making in South Korea after watching a documentary on the craft. In 1998, he began his first internship under Hye Dyung Kim in Kwangju before pursuing formal training at the Violin Making School in Mittenwald, Germany. Upon graduation, he joined the Berlin workshop of Anton Pilar under Andreas von Niederhäusern, specializing in repair and restoration, including work on instruments of musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic. He earned his Geigenbaumeister (Master Craftsman) certification in 2010 and later that year moved to Los Angeles to work at Hans Weisshaar, where he trained with Georg Ettinger and restored historically significant instruments. In 2015, he joined Carriage House Violins, where since 2024 he has served as Workshop Manager, overseeing the restoration and preservation of fine string instruments.

Philip Kass

Philip J. Kass is an expert, scholar and writer on old violins and bows. A member of the VSA since 1975, he served for many years on the Board and also as President and Vice-President. He has spoken on his many interests at numerous VSA conventions over the past fifty years. His most recent writing has been the three-volume work Liuteria Mantovana, which he has co-authored with Andrea Zanrè.

Ceile Kronick

At 15, Ceile had to opportunity to learn and setup his first cnc machine, a relatively small 2’x3’ 3 axis machine to cut violin plates. After two years of learning everything he could by attending numerous training sessions, conventions, and countless hours of experimentation, he had the first plates coming off the machine consistently kickstarting the V. Richelieu project. Since then, he has overseen the expansion to a 6-axis CNC machining center, larger warehouse, and production of plates, scroll, fingerboards, tailpieces, and many client projects from plates, to knife handles, to custom metal fixtures and tooling. He brings a unique perspective to machining and the violin industry with his training in machining but all practical work being directly focused on violin parts and accessories. His guiding principle is to bridge the gap between makers/restorers and machines and to make the machines serve the hand work.

Jacob Mitas

After many years of working for fine violin shops in NYC, Philadelphia, and Taipei, Jacob Mitas started his own shop in Portland, Oregon called Mitas Bows where he makes custom bows for violin, viola, cello and bass. Mitas also repairs and restores violins and bows and does a lot of rehairs.

Rodney Mohr

Rodney Mohr has been actively making bows for 42 years and is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and the Violin Society of America. Mr. Mohr has produced well over 1,100 bows, making him one of the nation's most prolific bow makers, and one of the country's leading restorers having restored a countless number of fine bows.

As past Co-Director of the Violin Society of America’s Oberlin Bow Restoration Workshop, Mr. Mohr has taught many students the fine art of repair and restoration with a conservative approach. He has been a guest instructor at the North Bennett Street School in Boston and given demonstrations at VSA conventions, and the Chicago School of Violin Making, where he is an alumnus and serves as a board member. He firmly believes in passing on his valuable knowledge by serving as Director of Learning Trade Secrets, LLC, “A Fine Stringed Instrument Making & Restoration Program,” and as an instructor with several of his colleagues.

Mr. Mohr has won numerous awards in international competitions, including the Violin Society of America International Competitions and the Concours International de Paris. Mr. Mohr holds the distinction of Hors’ Concours by the VSA. His bows appear in such publications as Discovering Bows for the Double Bass by Christopher Brown and Wanderer Wonderer: The Violin and Bow Collection of Bruce Babbitt by Bruce Babbitt.

Mr. Mohr has served as President of the Violin Society of America and as a bow judge, and President of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, where he holds a Masters of Bow Making Certificate.

Mr. Mohr's conviction for restoration extends into his personal life, where he has served as Board Chair for the City of Ashland's Preservation Board. He also has fully restored his 1885 Queen Anne Victorian home, which he moved in 2002

Antoine Nedelec

Graduate of the Violin Making School of America. Antoine worked for Peter Prier and Sons while attending school, and for J & A Beare upon graduating in 2002. He opened his own studio in 2005. In 2012, he joined the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. Antoine is an active maker and has received numerous awards at the Violin Society of America competitions, including two silver medals for cello and a gold medal for viola. He has served as a judge at the VSA competition in 2018 and the Wieniawski competition in 2025. Antoine is the executive director of the Chicago School of Violin Making and the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop.

Annie Perkins

Annie works to inspire and advance positive change by accelerating sustainable development by using certified wood products. Her experience in product transparency, climate change, and the circular economy, coupled with her passion to improve communities near and far, supports that mission. As an accredited LEED Green Associate, Chair U.S. Green Building Council MN, Middle St. Croix Watershed board member, and Council Member for the City of Afton, MN, Annie casts a wide net in efforts to improve the world. Her love for all living things fuels her work, and play—you’ll find her skiing or biking in the mountains or chillaxing along the banks of the Saint Croix River.

Kathy Reilly

Kathleen Reilly, Vermont Violins Raised in Vermont, Kathleen Reilly co-owns Vermont Violins with her husband, Oren where she manages the manufacture of the V. Richelieu™ line of violins and violas, Gaiatone and the American distribution of Sonowood (sustainable wood alternatives to ebony), and the Company’s other activities in instrument sales and restoration. The principles of environmental sustainability and community development have served as key guides for the business growth. Her education background includes the Oberlin Conservatory and College, studying Viola Performance and International Relations; a master’s degree in the Field Naturalist Program from the botany department at the University of Vermont, and lutherie courses with Hans Nebel and Horst Klaus. As a scientist with The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, she developed management plans for existing nature preserves and designed new preserves with updated ecosystem protection principles. She serves as the Curriculum Committee Chair for The Alliance-International and as a board member for the VSA.

Cody Rex

Cody Rex is a co-owner of the Bass Violin Shop in Greensboro, NC which specializes in double bass and bow sales, repairs, and restorations. In his position, he manages instrument sales, marketing and social media, and bow rehairs/repairs. Originally from Ohio, Cody earned music degrees from Bowling Green State University (BMued), University of Michigan (MM), University of North Carolina at Greensboro (DMA), and studied bow work under Lynn Hannings.

Joe Robson

Joe Robson [Violin Varnish Ltd.] makes varnishes, grounds and colors, and varnishes violins and violas in his shop in Trumansburg, New York. His work as a cabinetmaker led him to the study of traditional wood finishes and linseed oil varnishes. In 1996 Joe was cooking varnish for a dining room set he had built, when a violin maker stopped in his shop, smelled the varnish he was cooking and asked, “Why aren’t you doing this for us?” Since then, Joe has been involved in the research, history, and development of finishes for the violin. Joe has taught the understanding and application of violin varnishes for many years. He has taught students at the violin making schools. He co-directed Artistic and Practical Violin Varnishing, an annual workshop for 17 years. He now offers varnishing instruction and mentoring online. Joe has presented his research to VSA conventions, AFVBM, and Strad magazine.

Steve Rossow

Steve Rossow is a violin maker from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow makers. For over a decade, he has led the Violin Repair and Making program at Minnesota State College – Southeast in Red Wing, Minnesota. He is passionate about teaching and developing the next generation of skilled luthiers. Outside of violin making and teaching, Rossow’s professional interests also include the role of technology in lutherie: In collaboration with fellow violin maker John Waddle and radiologist Steven Sirr, Rossow invented a process of re-creating famous violins – most notably, the Betts Stradivari - using CT scans and CNC technology. This work was featured as a group project at the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop, resulting in the completion of a replica of the Betts that was donated to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Andrew Ryan

Andrew Ryan is an award winning graduate of the Violinmaking School of America. He is a member of the AFVBM and worked as a restorer at Reuning & Son Violins for nearly twenty years. Since 2011 he has been making violins in his own workshop in Providence as well as studying the physics of the violin. His work is characterized by his understanding of classical methods of making and a practical application of acoustics research.

Christian Schabbon

Christian Schabbon initially trained as a cabinet maker in Berlin. He joined the Milanese Violin making School, graduating with best marks. During this period he also made instruments in his own workshop in Cremona, while at the same time being an assistant to Luca Primon in Milan/Italy.

He then worked for nearly a decade with Florian Leonhard Fine Violins Ltd in London/UK, and after only a short period rose to the position of Workshop Manager, mainly restoring top Italian instruments.

In 2011 he joined Reuning and Son Violins in Boston. Now at the very top of the restoration field, he is entrusted restoring the most valuable antique stringed instruments.

He takes a conservative/ethical approach to restoration, at the same researching the latest materials and developing innovative techniques. He has published numerous articles in books and magazines and participated in several violin restoration classes as a student as well as a teacher.

Christian Schabbon also spends a significant amount of time making instruments. He received several VSA awards.

Jack Schoenfeld

Jack Schoenfeld has been helping musicians navigate the world of insurance for many years. As the 4th generation leader of Clarion, he oversees many areas of the musical instrument insurance buying process; including sales, underwriting, marketing, coverage, and claims. His background in both business and filmmaking makes him a great resource to bridge the gap between artists and the insurance world.

Arian Sheets

Arian Sheets is Curator of Stringed Instruments at the National Music Museum on the campus of the University of South Dakota. Her research interests are diverse, including everything from the work of Andrea Amati to the early development of electric musical instruments. She is a violist who studied with Eiji Ikeda, now retired from the Minnnesota Orchestra, and Peter Slowik and Li-Kuo Chang at Northwestern University.

Jeffrey Solow

Jeffrey Solow, cello professor at Temple University, performs, writes, and edits music He is a 2-time Grammy nominee and a 4-time VSA tone judge.

Tim Toft

Tim Toft started in the violin business over 45 years ago. He is now an internationally established violin expert and trusted consultant on stringed instruments and their bows.

Marilyn Wallin

BA in Viola. Student of Tschu Ho Lee. She has made 150+ violas on many models.

Jeff White

Jeff White is the owner of J.K. White Fine Violins/Stevens Violin Shop, in Santa Clara, CA, which focuses mainly on sales and restoration of older historic violin family instruments and bows.

Andrea Zanrè

Andrea Zanrè attended the Parma Violin Making School from 1994 to 1998 and his teacher, Renato Scrollavezza, exerted a deep influence on him for many aspects related to his thought, to art and his profession. Since 2002 Andrea Zanrè has started teaching violin making alongside Renato and his daughter Elisa, together with whom he founded the Scrollavezza & Zanrè workshop. Having specialized in making replicas of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Elisa and Andrea organized an important exhibition (2011) and issued a monograph about him (2012). In 2014, Andrea laid the foundations for a new series of monographs entitled "Treasures of Italian Violin Making" focused on classical Italian instruments in an exceptional state of preservation. At the same time Andrea has started an in-depth study about Mantuan lutherie with Philip J. Kass and Jan Roehrmann. Andrea strives to strongly advocate a personal idea of lutherie which is anchored to the peculiarities of its historical and geographical background and is a member of EILA (International Violin and Bow makers Association) since 2024.