Shirley White
Starting with wooden boat models as a kid, I have always been enthralled by wood and woodworking. I grew up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, a small sea coast town with a New England do for yourself atmosphere. My father was a carpenter, furniture builder and carver. I used to follow my Dad around the shop until he’d set me up with my own project. I put many miles on his tools before finally collecting a real set of my own.
After a varied career of academics and carpentry, I decided to focus on fine woodworking. In 1989 I entered the furniture making school Leeds Design Workshop in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The program focused on producing one of a kind furniture, primarily with hand tools and traditional joinery. After finishing and working just a few years in art furniture, I was offered a position doing violin repair at Stamell Stringed Instruments in Amherst, Massachusetts. This offer allowed me to combine my two loves, music and woodworking. I began my apprenticeship in1994 with two fine French luthiers, Chantal Emannuel Bournoff and Philipp Raynaud. Over a period of five years I performed all the major repairs with their expert guidance and generous sharing of knowledge. In time I become the Head of the Workshop, fielding the larger restorations and training workshop staff. In 2008 I established my own workshop where I repair and restore violin family instruments. I continue to seek new information and techniques by attending professional development courses offered by the British Violin Making Association and the Violin Society of America. In 2011 William Monical kindly invited me to bring a project down to his shop in New York. I had an intriguing repair, a Benjamin Banks viola which had never before been opened. Once we removed the top we were able to observe the makers methodology through original marks left during the construction. While I performed the necessary work, William offered his thoughts about the process and the instrument.
source: personal websiteservices
| makes | instruments vln, vla, vlc |
| restores | instruments vln, vla, vlc |
| address | New York (NY) - United States |
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