Samuel Detached Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Why are there so few women luthiers? Jenny Bailly … who else? Or are there many we haven’t heard of? Is making violins a ‘man thing? What did signora Stradivari do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Victor Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 In my general neighborhood (within 30 minutes) there are Joan Balter in Berkeley and Sigrun Seifert in Petaluma, California. There must be many more. And I believe a woman does the instrument repair at Dolce Violins in San Rafael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Right now? Or historically? Right now, there are many... Historically, women were either not working (upper classes) or were running the household (child care, etc.), or, if they were helping their husbands, they were behind the scenes and their names weren't mentioned. Names weren't mentioned because it might be scandalous (to have a woman working) or, it might be embarrassing to admit to having a woman working... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy jane Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Rena Weisshaar in Costa Mesa, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flattmountain Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Haha Amanda and I. It's definitely more of a recent development.. BBC did an article with Ray and Amanda if you're interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 3 hours ago, Samuel Detached said: Why are there so few women luthiers? Someone (who may be sleeping in the doghouse tonight) just told me "It's because most women have better sense than that." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Violadamore said: Someone (who may be sleeping in the doghouse tonight) just told me "It's because most women have better sense than that." Did you build him his dog house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Norfleet Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 There were a number of women at the school in Cremona when I was there in 1975/76. One of the instructors as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 35 minutes ago, Rue said: Did you build him his dog house? Young Jedi, the Force strong with you is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l33tplaya Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Marilyn Wallin, former VSA prez... When I took Joe's varnish workshop, there were several women there, established luthiers, including an instructor from Chicawgo School o' Violinz... In Darnton's summer class, at one point, it was half women. Could the US be ahead of Europe? Looking at the Italian Syndicate, Cremona Consortium there are few women who are established. I counted 4...sad. Of course, there may be others who identify as female; I just made a non PC judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimRobinson Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Not great numbers in Oz. Only 2 come to the top of my mind: Contemporary : Adele Beardsmore https://abcviolins.com/ Past: Kitty Denereaz Smith https://collection.maas.museum/object/140859 Alan Coggin's book on Oz makers has more, but far more men were/are makers. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelbow Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 I work in the same workshop/building as 5 female luthiers so I don't see there being a lack of female luthiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davide Sora Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 5 hours ago, Mark Norfleet said: There were a number of women at the school in Cremona when I was there in 1975/76. One of the instructors as well. Many women luthiers have graduated from the Cremona school of violin making and have become appreciated professionals all over the world, I would say that they are no longer so marginal as a presence in our profession. And there are also many others who did not go to the Cremona school but obviously just as good The instructor you speak of is Wanna Zambelli, who finished her long career as a teacher at the school a couple of years ago. She was also the first woman to attend the Cremona school. https://www.scuoladiliuteria.it/staff/vanna-zambelli In my opinion she was one of the best teachers in the school, she will be greatly missed as a teacher. She was also one of the teachers of my wife Annamaria Menta, another exponent of the now large group of female luthiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Norfleet Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Davide Sora said: The instructor you speak of is Wanna Zambelli, who finished her long career as a teacher at the school a couple of years ago. She was also the first woman to attend the Cremona school. https://www.scuoladiliuteria.it/staff/vanna-zambelli Yes! I remembered her name but didn’t happen to mention it. I knew she was well respected when I was there, but had no idea how long her time at the school was. Thank you Davide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Preuss Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Women were in the 18th century and before socially more or less restricted from working in the crafts. (Historically If you look into what women were allowed to do in general, you get a pretty clear picture.) I think exceptions were made when their master craftsman husband died and someone had to manage the workshop, in general apparently with the help of a hired journeyman or the craftsman who already was at the side of the master. (Good example for this is the Ruggieri workshop. When Francesco Ruggieri rather unexpectedly died his wife continued the workshop with the help of Carlo Bergonzi.) Often women were hidden helpers in workshops in the 16th, 17th and 18th century. Roger Hargrave was speculating whose hands were on some del gesu scrolls and raised the question if this couldn’t have been Catarina Guarneri (born Roda) the wife of DG (Besides many of the anonymous painters were women, because they were not allowed to put their real name on the painting) With the industrial revolution things changed, women became more involved in violin making. I was told that varnishing and/or polishing was often women’s task in the Markneukirchen violin industry. We might ponder if some women didn’t make violins and they left the shop signed by their husband or father. Some women artists and writers as we know, tarnished themselves with male names… Besides Jenny Bailly there is Theresa Toth mentioned in the books. ——————- Times have changed, the number of female violin makers has increased dramatically like in many other traditionally male dominated professions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Coleman Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Ute Zahn, Marilyn Wallin, Ruth Obermayer, Marianne Jost, Bianca Cordero, a fraction of the well respected female luthiers I can think of. Sarah Peck, MJ Kwan, Sara Deliberato, Kristin Siegfried, Henne Hahn, so many more... Sigrun Seifert... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 A couple more historical figures... I believe Olga Adelmann gets credit as the first German maker to pass the master's exam, in Berlin just before WW2. I've never seen one of her instruments. But years ago I did have another Berliner instrument, a very nice viola labeled as by Greta Tennigkeit, 1923, with the interior note "student of Otto Mockel" (auf deutsch naturlich). That is the only example of her work that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swing Monkey 1 Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Laura Vigato of Brescia, Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potter Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Isabelle Wilbaux Ulrike Dederer My daughters 2 favorite violins at 2019 Reed-Yeboah show without respect to gender. The exhibition website has a number of years list of participants that could be a source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 20 hours ago, Flattmountain said: Haha Amanda and I. It's definitely more of a recent development.. BBC did an article with Ray and Amanda if you're interested You make? love to see some stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachykeen248 Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Sharon Que in Michigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 I would like to add the quasi-protégé of David Caron, Klarissa Petti. She does not post here, so I won’t post a photograph of her work, but if you look her up on YouTube, she is a very competent cellist and there is a video of her playing her own first cello. Her subsequent ones are quite beautiful and she just sold number four, Which is not even finished. Splendid young cellist, and worthwhile maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 Also Anne Cole in New Mexico, Makes beautiful and highly individual instruments, everyone literally one of a kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 How about Jennifer Becker? http://www.jenniferbeckerviolins.org/ https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckerviolins/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 14 minutes ago, Violadamore said: How about Jennifer Becker? http://www.jenniferbeckerviolins.org/ https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckerviolins/ Must be frustrating, the thread has been going 22 hours now, and nobody mentioned you yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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