0161 972 0839 helen@helenviolinmaker.com

Helen Violin Maker

modern violin maker

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Work In Progress

334_15 inch two-cornered viola 2022

19th May 2022

This is one of the standard models I make for rental; it’s the perfect size for teenagers before they are ready for their forever viola. I’m making this one for my rental scheme, and it is already destined for a young player who has been happily using one of my 14 1/4 inch cornerless violas …read more

333: 15 1/4 inch (38.6cm) viola based on John Betts 1786

13th April 2022

This viola is a commission from a student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She has the original Betts viola on loan from the Benslow Loan Scheme and it suits her physically very well, so we decided just to make a viola based on that, rather than one of my usual models. …read more

332_15 inch two-cornered viola 2022

6th April 2022

New year, new viola… This is one of my own designs of viola, which I’ve made regularly over the last twenty years. it’s been a very successful model, delivering an excellent quality of sound with a small and manageable size and light weight, perfect for young and not-so young players! This one will join my …read more

331: 15 inch (38cm) viola based on 18th century English instrument

17th December 2021

I’m pleased to revisit this viola, having already made this model as a commission earlier in the year. I was happy with the rich, warm sound it made and so were some of the players who saw it. One of these players has been hiring my small violas for several years, and is now ready …read more

330: 7/8 size cello based on Andrea Guarneri 1691

12th November 2021

This is a model I have returned to intermittently through my career. It’s the smallest cello I make and perfect for players with small hands. Before Stradivari came on the scene and standardised the size of the modern cello in the early 18th century, cellos were made in two sizes; a smaller, more soloistic model …read more

329: 14 1/4 inch (33.7cm) cornerless viola 2021

4th September 2021

This is the second viola of a commission from a viola teacher in Hong Kong, who is building a collection of fine instruments to loan to his pupils. It’s my usual cornerless design, which I have made many times over the years and which has helped a fair few fledgling viola players on their way. …read more

328: 13 1/4 inch (33.7cm) viola 2021

5th August 2021

This is the smallest size of viola I make, equivalent to a 3/4 size violin. It’s a commission from a viola teacher in Hong Kong, who wants it to lend to his pupils. I really enjoy making these small violas, testing my expertise to deliver the best possible sound at an improbably small size, and …read more

327: 14 1/4 inch (36.2cm) cornerless viola 2021

7th July 2021

This viola is a commission from America, from a player who does a lot of chamber music and who wants a small, manageable instrument that will hold its own. Abi and I have discussed what they are after, by Zoom and email, so I’m ready to start. The first choice is the wood. The front …read more

326: 15 inch viola based on 18th century English instrument

12th June 2021

This viola is a commission from a player who has braved the complications of lockdown to try and find her perfect instrument. I sent two small violas to her by courier to try, which she liked but which didn’t quite fit the bill. After discussing by email and video call we have established, I hope, …read more

325: 16 1/4 inch (41.2cm) viola based on Antonio Stradivari 1672 ‘Mahler’, 2021

30th April 2021

As lockdown continues into February of 2021 and customers are thin on the ground, I’m continuing my survey of what I call the Stradivari Outliers: the models which are atypical of the Stradivari workshop output. This started by accident, when I measured and then made the 1734 ‘Habeneck’ violin, in fact by Francesco Stradivari, Antonio’s …read more

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Contact Helen

1A Grasmere Road
Sale
Manchester
M33 3QU
UK

helen@helenviolinmaker.com
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0161 972 0839
0044 161 972 0839

Latest from Helen

Lutherie 2022

In 1999, one of the then tutors at the Newark School of Violin Making had the great idea of setting … Read More...

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