Southern Violin Association
association of violin makers in the Western Hemisphere

Bulletins

BULLETIN - JANUARY 2021

ANNOUNCING THE 3RD BIENNIAL

VIOLIN MAKERS' COMPETITION

SPRING 2021


****WITH LIVE STREAMING****


PREPARE YOUR ENTRIES FOR OUR THIRD BIENNIAL

OPEN INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN MAKERS COMPETITION

OUR TARGET DATE IS FIRST OF MAY, 2021, IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A.

THE SOUTHERN VIOLIN ASSOCIATION IS PREPARING TO HOST ITS THIRD COMPETITION AROUND THE FIRST OF MAY 2021. IT WILL BE HELD IN THE CITY OF ATLANTA.


WE ARE CURRENTLY PLANNING TO LIVE STREAM MOST OF THE COMPETITION WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS THE PROCESS WITH MEMBERS AS THE JUDGES GO THROUGH THEIR ROUTINES.



ALL ENTRIES WILL NEED TO BE DELIVERED NOT LATER THAN FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE CONFERENCE. THIS COMPLIES WITH RECOMMENDED COVID-19 GUIDELINES FOR THE LIFESPAN OF THE VIRUS ON WOOD AND MOST RELATED OBJECTS. THIS ALLOWS THE JUDGES TO HANDLE THE INSTRUMENTS.


  1. THIS WILL BE VIOLINS AND VIOLAS ONLY

  2. INSTRUMENTS MUST BE LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD

  3. A MAXIMUM OF TWO INSTRUMENTS MAY BE ENTERED IN THE COMPETITION. THEY MAY BE IN THE SAME CATEGORY (I.E. TWO VIOLINS OR TWO VIOLA) OR SPLIT - ONE VIOLIN AND ONE VIOLA.

  4. OTHERWISE RULES FROM LAST COMPETITION REMAIN THE SAME,

  5. INSTRUMENTS MUST BE OWNER-INSURED. WE WILL HANDLE THEM WITH THE SAME CARE WE WOULD DEVOTE TO OUR OWN INSTRUMENTS, HOWEVER THE ASSOCIATION TAKES NO LIABILITY FOR INSTRUMENTS LOST, DAMAGED, OR DESTROYED.


IN ADDITION TO FIRST, SECOND, THIRD PLACE AWARDS IN BOTH WORKMANSHIP AND TONE, WE WILL ALSO AWARD A NOVICE AWARD TO THE HIGHEST RATED VIOLIN AND VIOLA SUBMITTED BY A "NOVICE" MAKER (HAVING COMPLETED NO MORE THAN TEN INSTRUMENTS AT THE TIME OF THE COMPETITION.)


THERE WILL BE A SOUTHERN MAKER AWARD GIVEN TO THE HIGHEST RATED VIOLIN AND VIOLA SUBMITTED BY A SOUTHERN MAKER (SEE RULES).


SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE IN THE COMING WEEKS, BUT YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO HAVE YOUR ENTRIES COMPLETED BY EARLY APRIL.


JUDGES FOR WORKMANSHIP WILL INCLUDE JAIME GONZALES OF MEXICO, FIRST PLACE WINNER IN OUR 2019 COMPETITION. TONE JUDGES WILL COME FROM THE ATLANTA SYMPHONY, AND WILL LIKELY INCLUDE OUR OLD FRIEND, JUAN RAMIREZ, TONE JUDGE FOR OUR PREVIOUS TWO COMPETITIONS. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON VENUE AND JUDGING STAFF.


LET US KNOW IF YOU INTEND TO SUBMIT ENTRIES BY NUMBER AND TYPE -- PLEASE EMAIL THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE. THIS WILL HELP US WITH OUR PLANNING.


We will post updates and more information over the coming months on our webpage. Click here for Website

BULLETIN #11

COMMENTARY from the President SVA

Greetings makers! This month, I really want to reach out to the novice makers.

I’m sure everyone (including the professional) has experienced the exasperation of having too many fiddles laying about, and not enough money in the bank. When sales are few and far between, one starts to wonder if maybe they shouldn’t be looking in a different direction. Some might get disappointed, and lose interest in the making process altogether.

I know I’ve hit that wall myself, and find myself wondering just what I think I’m doing making fiddles. This is why I really look forward to this upcoming meeting. I hope to see what others are doing, see how my violins compare to other makers, whether novice or professional. Because I am a novice myself, I’m really hoping to see a lot of other novice makers bring a sample of their instruments to this upcoming meeting. In the past two meetings, I’ve come away re-energized, and better equipped to start my next project. It is a never ending process of learning, and one can’t learn in isolation.

My hope is that we’ll have some new folks show up that haven’t attended before, and I really hope we can turn out the novice makers. These are the folks that have the most to gain by attending, and the most to gain by participating in our “makers choice” competition that we’ll have after our general member meeting. We’ll be asking participants to identify themselves as either “professional” or “novice” and I will make sure that the “novice” maker that receives the most votes from among the makers and attendees gets some special recognition. So, if you’re a novice maker, we really want to see you there. I’ll be working with the board on a definition of a “novice” maker, and let everyone know well before the meeting.

Also, I believe participation is more important than generating income at this point. So, there will be no “entry fee” but we still insist that you be a SVA member in good standing. This year, the membership fee is $60. That will also get you into the Howard Core visit Oct 4.

Dave Chandler, President SVA

6 WEEKS TO GO---GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING SEPTEMBER 21 AND “MAKERS CHOICE” COMPETITION

Join us for a general membership meeting at the Huthmaker’s Violin Shop in Duluth Georgia, in the Atlanta area. We’ll follow the general member meeting with an informal VIOLIN COMPETITION with voting by participants and members. Awards will be given for both Tone and Workmanship. Bring any violin or viola or Bow (we’ll see how this goes this year before expanding to Cello and Bass instruments). The only qualification is you must have made the instrument yourself, and it must never have been given an award in another competition (honorable mentions are not considered awards for this competition). More details will be posted on Face-book as well as on our website. This is not going to be a full on competition as mentioned in the website, this will be a lot less formal, and probably a lot less organized – being our first attempt at this. We just want to get a lot of violins and fiddles brought in to look at and we can all comment and judge. The only stipulation is you can’t vote for your own instrument, or interfere in the judging. Instruments must have the label obscured, perhaps a yellow post-it will do the trick, or a little masking tape. More coming as we get nearer. Any questions, send to david@ccvn.com .

INFORMAL VIOLIN/VIOLA/BOW COMPETITION -- ATLANTA AREA -- SEPTEMBER 21

See General Membership blurb at top of page. I just wanted to make sure you saw this information.

THE CHIMNEY’S WORKSHOP COMING TO VIRGINIA

William Mason Violin Shop in Fredericksburg, VA will be the venue for a Chimney’s Workshop sponsored East Coast Violin Making Workshop. Dates are still up in the air, depending on response. They might hold an event late this year, or early next year (likely late April/Early May 2014). We’ll be certain to post this in future bulletins as we hear how this develops. This will be a two week program modeled after the Chimneys Workshops that took place in Arizona. Both weeks will focus on what each attended wants to learn. More information will be posted on their website at www.wmmasonviolinshop.com. William Mason has committed to provide a $25 discount on presentation of your Southern Violin Association membership card. You can also get more information by calling them at 540-645-7499.

HUTHMAKER’S VIOLINS TO HOST ITALIAN EXHIBITION 2014

Huthmaker’s Violins of Duluth Georgia, will be hosting an Italian violin exhibit from the Consort in Cremona for 2014. Huthmaker’s will be the only shop in the country to host the exhibit. There is not a confirmed date yet that we can announce but we will keep you posted.

VIOLIN MAKER’S SCHOOL IN NORTH CAROLINA

Joseph A. Thrift, of Dobson, North Carolina, has announced that he is establishing a violin makers school here in North Carolina, and is taking reservations for his first course. Currently he teaches one day a week, but as more sign on that may change depending on the needs of the students. Joseph is a member of the Violin Society of America, and a graduate of the Newark School of ViolinMaking in England. He’s also participated in the Oberlin Violin making workshops. Joseph had his own violin shop in Winston-Salem from 1980-1984, and has worked alongside Roger Hargrave periodically for the past 7 years. You can reach Joseph at 336-352-4471, or write him at PO Box 593, Dobson, NC 27017, or email violins@surry.net

HAPPY VALLEY -- MAKERS MEET PLAYERS EVENT AUGUST 31

We’ve been invited to participate in a day-long “Makers Meet Players” event at the annual HAPPY VALLEY OLD TIME FIDDLER’S COMPETITION Saturday, August 31, near Lenoir, NC. This event attracts hundreds of fiddlers of all ages and abilities, and thousands of attendees. They set up a large tent of about 60’ long just for instrument makers to set tables (which they provide) and display their instruments. Usually there are 5 or 6 violin/fiddle makers, plus a few mandolin makers, and a few guitar makers, etc. Most of the time there is an ongoing jam session in the middle of the tent, while just a few hundred feet away the competitions are held in an even larger tent that seats 300 plus. If you want to be a part of this event, then contact Bob Kogut at fiddlemaker@charter.net . He’ll reserve a spot with table and chairs. I’ll be there!! See ya!

I’ve attended at least three, and it really is a lot of fun. It’s held on the Dula farm, at the resting place of Laura Foster, immortalized in the ballad “Tom Dooley” and just a short distance from Daniel Boone’s home in the 1750s. Its really a beautiful valley, and a wonderful venue.

2013 FLORIDA FIDDLERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION

This is a first time event -- We’ve been invited to participate in a “Makers meet Players” opportunity at the Florida Fiddlers annual Convention October 4-6, at High Springs, Florida. The organizers will have a table and chairs in the back of the lodge where the concerts will be held. If you want to participate, you’ll need to contact Aisha Ivey and let her know you’re a member of the Southern Violin Association. When you arrive, be prepared to show her a current membership card from the SVA. If you haven’t received a card this year, just send me an email at david@ccvn.com. Contact Aisha at theaisha@hotmail.com for more details. Also let us know if you’re going, maybe we can arrange some ride-sharing and cut some of our expenses. More info at http://www.nettally.com/fiddler/annual%20convention_003.htm

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

We would really appreciate your visit to Southern Violin Association on facebook, and “like” if you want to get updated when other members post comments or photos etc. Search Facebook for “Southern Violin Association”. We would be super excited to get everyone to come by and say “hello”. https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/SouthernViolinAssociation

HOWARD CORE FIELDTRIP – October 4

Last October a contingent of our members were able to tour of the Howard Core facility at Anniston, Alabama (about 2 hours West of Atlanta). If you missed the tour, you would have been amazed, as we were, at the scope of this operation which employs more than 20 persons on a full time basis. The facility is located on the old Fort McClellan Army Base, in a series of brick warehouses that date from the 1930s. In one warehouse, you can see racks of violins holding as many as 3,000 plus violins all in one place. Mr. David Luce provided a BBQ Lunch while we held our general membership meeting. Following that, we were welcome to shop in the parts department which was about 2000 sq ft of violin wood, tools, varnishes, accessories, every kind of item you could ever need for making violinfamily instruments. We were additionally given a 10% discount off their usual wholesale prices, covering some of our travel expenses. This was so successful, we’re hoping to do this again each year as long as we’re welcome!!

We’ll meet there at 10am and have a working lunch (general member meeting) followed by some shopping. Please let me know if you can attend any or all of the event – email david@ccvn.com .

THINKING OF JOINING?

Membership is open to ANYONE that has an interest. If you’d like to join, you can send $60 made out to Southern Violin Association (annual membership), along with your contact information to Dustin Williams, SVA Treasurer, at 1218 17th Ave S., Nashville, TN 37212 (email dustin@williamsfineviolins.com). OR, you can just show up at our meetings, and pay the fee there.

We are a not-for-profit organization.

All the best,

Dave Chandler, President

Southern Violin Association

david@ccvn.com

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