George Yu
To be a masterful violin-maker - or luthier - requires the melding of science, craft, and aesthetic. George Yu's background offers him a unique ability to bring do just that. In addition to being a skilled violin maker, he is a talented violinist. As a teen, he was a member of the London Youth Symphony Orchestra. He studied under the esteemed Sandra Stark in London, Ontario for many years. Subsequent teachers have included David Zafer, then a Professor at the University of Toronto; Eduard Minevich, then the Concertmaster of Orchestra London, Ontario; and Yascha Milkis, then the Associate Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Raised in a family that encouraged an interest in both the arts and sciences, Mr. Yu received a degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. During his education, he continued to play the violin, performing with a university chamber music group consisting of music and engineering students. He worked in the field of engineering for a number of years, allowing him to develop a base of technical knowledge and skills which would become invaluable as a violin maker. Before long, though, he missed music and working with his hands. It was during this time that Mr. Yu began taking violin-making courses.
After initial studies in basic violin-making techniques, Mr. Yu studied with Alan Carruth, an expert in violin plate tuning. He also participated in summer sessions at the University of New Hampshire with Karl Roy, a retired director of the Mittenwald violin making school in Germany. After this, Mr. Yu began to study violin-making full-time. He is a 1999 graduate of the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City. After graduation, Mr. Yu apprenticed with master luthiers Ken Meyer and Di Cao in suburban Boston. Mr. Yu continues to refine his art, regularly attending violin-making and acoustics workshops sponsored by the Violin Society of America at Oberlin college in the summers.
At the 2014 VSA Violin Making Competition, Mr. Yu's violin received Certificates of Merit for both Tone and Workmanship - one of only three violins to receive double-distinction prizes, out of the 246 violins submitted for the competition. Another of Mr. Yu's violins was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Tone at the previous biennial VSA competition, held in 2012.
source: personal websiteservices
| makes | instruments vln |
| restores | instruments vln, vla |
| address | Toronto - Canada |
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