Musicians, transporting instruments with endangered materials, face strict rules, with ignorance offering no defence against penalties, including confiscation. With global demand rising and materials like Pernambuco and Ebony under threat, the instrument-making world is bracing for increased restrictions, emphasizing the need for players to grasp the complex regulations governing their craft.

Nestled along Brazil's coast, the Pernambuco tree, crucial for bowmaking, faces a perilous decline due to deforestation. CITES, recognizing its plight in 2007, imposed protective measures. Recent heightened restrictions demand bowmakers increase self-regulation. Vermont Violins and others limit Pernambuco sales to certified legality, emphasizing the urgent need for responsible sourcing. In this delicate interplay between commerce and conservation, the future of Pernambuco wood rests in the hands of those who craft and play its unique symphony.

The International Alliance for Violin and Bow Makers for Endangered Species (the “Alliance-USA”) has invited Vermont Violins’ owner and founder, Kathy Reilly, to join their management board. The Alliance-USA is a non-for-profit international organization dedicated to support policies, projects and rules that conserve precious natural resources used in the violin-making trade for the future.

Standing at the foot of the Italian Alps on the banks of the Garda and Iseo lakes, is the ancient city of Brescia, a city founded over 3200 years ago in days before the Romans ruled Europe. Today, Brescia remains an important city for trade and manufacturing and as a center of a vibrant artistic culture. And at one time, it was the center of violin and instrument making

It was remarked once, that if Stradivari walked into our workshop in Vermont, he would be able to sit down at a bench and work in pretty much the same way as he once did in the 17th and 18th centuries. The tools laid out before him would be similar; the forms, chisels, woods, planes all would be reminiscent …

This one-of-a-kind V. Richelieu violin was generously donated by Vermont Violins and signed by classical music legend and renowned violinist, Itzhak Perlman, who graced The Flynn with his music and artistry in late March, 2022.

Ebony has long been the dominant wood used for fingerboards on violins. It is strong and acts like a splint to keep the weaker maple necks straight as an arrow, and it is visually beautiful.

But ebony is a threatened wood.

HOW TO SIZE YOUR CHILD FOR AN INSTRUMENT

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