Links
The American Violin
The American Violin: From Jefferson to Jazz, a joint venture between the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Inc. and the Library of Congress, with generous support from the Violin Society of America and select contributors, is a celebration of historical and modern American violin and bow making. The goal of the project is to increase public awareness and knowledge of American violin and bow making, tracing its origins and historical development through the migration of European traditions to an established high quality American identity.
the Violin Society of America
The Violin Society Of America reflects a broad range of interests and concerns of those interested in violins and the art of making instruments and bows of the violin family.
Founded in 1973, the Violin Society of America is a non-profit organization created for the purpose of promoting the art and science of making, repairing and preserving stringed musical instruments and their bows. Membership in the VSA is open to all who share an interest in the violin, viola, cello, bass and their bows, and thus reflects a broad and diverse range of interests and concerns, including craftsmanship, acoustics, innovation, the history of instruments and performers, technique, performance practice, repertory and other matters pertaining to instruments of the violin family.
IPCI - USA
The International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative (IPCI) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of Caesalpinia echinata, a Brazilian tree commonly known as Pernambuco or Pau-brasil. The heartwood of this tree has been used in the making of violin bows for over 250 years. The precious pernambuco wood that has enabled the craft of bowmaking for so long is now endangered in many areas of it's Brazilian range. Although massive deforestation is largely to blame for pernambuco's demise, we acknowledge a responsibility for our resource and recognize the pressing need to restore it.
American bow makers have responded to IPCI-USA’s funding needs by coming together to make a series of collaborative bows that will be donated to the organization. A number of violin shops have joined the effort, volunteering to sell these bows and donate their sales commission.
IPCI-Canada
Working in close partnership with other national branches of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative the specific fund-raising activity of IPCI-Canada is the development of a major publication on the conservation, restoration, and repair of stringed instruments and their bows.
