THE AMERICAN FEDER ATION OF VIOLIN AND BOW MAKERS

MAY 7 TO 11, 2014

Welcome to Chicago!

On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome you to the 2014 General Meeting of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. You will find the complete schedule for our meeting on pages 4 and 5 of this booklet, and information about our evening events on page 8.

In addition to the 10 presentations and this year’s Old Instrument and Bow Exhibit, we are pleased to be hosting a bow experiment, conducted by Fan-Shia Tao and Professor John Lamancusa on May 9 and 10. In this study, Can you hear the difference between bows?, single notes from seven bows of widely different materials and value were recorded, under identical playing conditions, using a mechanical bowing machine. Listeners will be asked if they can hear a difference between the recordings. Please go to the Avignon Room if would like to participate.

Peter R. SemanPresident

American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers

W E L C O M E

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S P E A K E R B I O G R A P H I E S

Carlo Chiesa is a graduate of Milan’s Violin Making School, and also studied History and Philosophy. While working on instruments in his workshop, he has studied the history of violin makers with extensive researches in archives throughout northern Italy, whose main results he published in a good number of essays. Curator and organizer of exhibitions of old instruments in Cremona, he has been a proud Professional Affiliate of the Federation since 2009.

Paul Childs has a master’s degree in Violin Performance from the Manhat-tan School of Music. After performing in various New York ensembles, Paul dealt in fine French bows, studying them and researching their makers. He has published his findings extensively and spoken at numerous conferences. In 2008 he presented an exhibition on FX Tourte at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Yung Chin founded the Oberlin bow making workshop and directed it for eight years. He has served on numerous boards of the AFVBM during the past twenty years. Yung is currently International chair of all IPCI groups and vice president of the AFVBM.

Joseph Curtin is a violin maker, writer, researcher, and 2005 MacArthur Fellow who resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Along with building violins and violas, he has since the early 1990s pursued a strong interest in violin acoustics and innovation. Curtin is co-director of the VSA Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, and a frequent contributor to The Strad, Strings, and VSA Papers.

Klaus Grünke learned the craft of bow making in Bubenreuth from his father, Richard Grünke. He successfully participated in various international bow making competitions and has since been frequently called to serve as a juror. In addition to making bows, Klaus Grünke is co-author of German Bow Makers, 1783 - 2000 and of the comprehensive publication The Bows of Nikolai Kittel.

Philip J. Kass is a respected expert, appraiser, consultant and writer on fine classic stringed instruments and bows. Formerly of William Moennig & Son, his work is extensively published in magazines and encyclopedias. He frequently lectures on the history and expertise of stringed instruments and bows, most recently at the 2011 VSA Convention and the 2012 AFVBM General Meeting.

John S. Lamancusa, Ph.D., P.E. PhD, PE is a Professor of Mechanical En-gineering and Acoustics at Pennsylvania State University. He was previously employed at AT&T Bell Laboratories where his technical experience includ-ed acoustic design of telecommunications equipment. He currently teaches courses in mechanical design, vibrations, noise control and mechatronics; and performs research in musical acoustics. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982 and a BS from the University of Dayton in 1978.

Joseph Loferski is a professor in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Tech. He specializes in wood science and wood engineering, wood species identification, the structural design and long-term performance of wood and composites, decks and guardrails, preservation of historic structures, mois-ture and prevention of deterioration. Dr. Loferski has published many technical papers and several books.

Duane Rosengard has authored and edited articles for Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart and the New Grove’s Dictionary of Music. His first book was Cremonese Double Basses. With Carlo Chiesa he contributed to Giuseppe Guar-neri del Gesù and The Stradivari Legacy. His biography of G. B. Guadagnini was published in partnership with Kenneth Warren and Son. He is working on a study of Venetian stringed instrument makers.

Benjamin Schröder studied violin making at the Mittenwald School and went on to work with WE Hill, Bein & Fushi, and J & A Beare. He joined his father’s workshop in Frankfurt which he took over in 1995. He is currently president of the Verband Deutscher Geigenbauer und Bogenmachermeister. Long fascinated by pre-1750 German and Austrian instruments and with Jakob Stainer in particular, he helped organise the Jakob Stainer exhibition in Austria in 2003.

Isaac Salchow studied bow making with his grandfather William Salchow. Aside from making bows, Isaac does all of the expertise that carries the family name. He has taken part in various international exhibitions, most recently as exhibitor and speaker at the first ever François Xavier Tourte exhibition, hosted by the Royal Academy of Music in London. He took over the family business.

Fan-Chia Tao is director of research and development at D’Addario & Com-pany, where he develops musical strings. He holds electrical engineering degrees from Caltech and Princeton University. Tao has been Vice-President of the Violin Society of America. He has collaborated with the world’s leading acous-tics researchers and violin makers. He co-founded and continues to co-direct the VSA-Oberlin Acoustics Workshop.

James Warren is one of the founders and past presidents of the Chicago School of Violin Making. James has given lectures at the VSA, AFVBM, National Music Museum, and Royal Academy of Music. He has also sponsored, or con-tributed in some way, to research on historic violin and bow makers.

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Time Wednesday 7 Thursday 8 Friday 9 Saturday 10 Sunday 11

8:00 - 9:00 am             Breakfast sponsored by L’archet Brasil Breakfast Breakfast sponsored by

Tarisio Breakfast on your own

9:30 - 10:30 am Welcome and Introduction

9:15 – 10:30 am Business Meeting

Benjamin Schröder: Jakob Stainer, His Life and His Instruments

Free

10:30 - 11:00 amCoffee break sponsored

by Connolly Music Company

Coffee break sponsored by Pirastro GmbH

Coffee break sponsored by Arcos Brasil Free

11:00 - 12:00 noonYung Chin: Cello Bows:

Influences and Comparisons

11:00 am – 12:15 pm Business Meeting

Klaus Grünke: The Nürnberger Bow

Making Families

Fan Tao/Joseph Curtin: The Paris Experiment: What We Did and Did

Not Learn

12:00 - 2:00 pm Lunch on your own Lunch on your own Lunch on your own Lunch on your own

2:00 - 3:00 pm 

Joseph Loferski: The Xylemphone: Wood

Science for Instrument and Bow Makers

Isaac Salchow, Paul Childs, and Jim War-

ren: Grand Adam Slide Show; Panel Discussion

Philip Kass: The Lives and Work of Pressenda

and Rocca

1:00 - 5:00 pmPLAYERS

MEET MAKERS

3:00 - 3:30 pm Tea break sponsored by

Connolly Music Company

Tea break sponsored by Pirastro GmbH Tea break

3:30 - 4:30 pmPaul Childs: The Bows

and Bowmaking of Dominique Peccatte

Duane Rosengard: The Late 18th-Century Cre-

monese Makers

Carlo Chiesa: Ruggeri and Rogeri: Two Families

of Amati Followers

Evening

6:00-9:00 pmReception sponsored by Heritage Insurance

Services

6:30 pmReception sponsored by Kenneth Warren and Son

Free 6:00-9:00 pmAFVBM Banquet

Lectures will take place in the Chicago Ballroom.The Instrument and Bows Exhibit will be displayed in the Limoges Room.Players Meet Makers will be held in the Grand Ballroom.

All the daytime events will take place in the Hotel SOFITEL CHICAGO WATER TOWER, 20 East Chestnut Street, Chicago. Tel: 312-324-4000

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The Bow Experiment will be conducted on May 9 and 10 in the Avignon Room (2nd floor).Our sponsors will be set up in the Cannes RoomSee page 8 for details of evening events.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors for supporting the 2014 General Meeting of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers.

S P O N S O R S

Reception Sponsors

Metropolitan Music

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Violin Varnish Ltd.

Some of the sponsors will be joining us and you can find them in the Cannes Room on the 3rd floor.

Breakfast Sponsors

Break Sponsors

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsors

Wednesday May 7, 6:00-9:00 pmReception sponsored by Heritage Insurance ServicesBeane Hall, Loyola University Water Tower Campus111 E. Pearson St. / 820 N. Michigan AvenueOn foot: 3 minutesBy taxi: 1 minute

Thursday May 8, 6:30-8:30 pmReception sponsored by Kenneth Warren and Son 40 North Wells Street, 5th floorT: 312.427.7475T: 312.634.5050On foot: 30 minutesBy public transport: 15 minutesBy taxi: 10 minutes

Saturday May 10, 6:00-9:00 pmAFVBM Banquet Gibson’s Steakhouse1028 North Rush StreetT: 312.266.8999On foot: 6 minutesBy taxi: 1 minute

E V E N I N G E V E N T S

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