This instrument is part of the 7th Annual Contemporary American Makers Exhibition.  

As the son of two classical musicians, I have been in love with the sound of the violin and viola since before birth! I first became interested in the construction of violins in 1976 when my father opened a violin – making workshop in Dnepropetrovsk in 1976. In 1990 I moved to work and study with the two most important luthiers in Russia at that time, Pavel Schultz and Anatoly Kochergin. Subsequently I apprenticed in the shop of Nahoum Tukh in Tel Aviv for five years restoring fine instruments and bows, while continuing to develop my skill as a violin maker.

Early in my career as a luthier I had access to instruments by many of the great masters including Stradivarious, Guarneri Del Gesu, Bergonzi and Rogeri, among others, as Anatoly Kochergin, who I was apprenticed to, is in charge of taking care of the Russian National Collection. This contact has consolidated my absolute belief that a physical knowledge of the wood in the maker’s hand– it’s feel, response, flexibility is paramount in the creation of a beautiful sounding instrument. This in combination with an eye for line and color and meticulous attention to detail is what is required to build a truly great instrument.

I still feel a great sense of anticipation while choosing the wood for a new instrument, and tremendous joy and satisfaction at both seeing and hearing the finished product in the hands of a musician.

My violins are currently in use in concert halls in Germany, Russia, The Ukraine, France, the United States, Israel, and Canada.

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