Violas

Jason Day and his wife Jenna are the proud founders of Day Violins, a thriving violin-focused music shop in Chantilly, Virginia. Raised in a deeply musical household—his mother a flutist and his father a violist—Jason began playing the violin at the age of four through the Suzuki method. His musical journey continued with private lessons until he was 18, eventually leading him to teach aspiring young musicians. Along the way, Jason discovered a passion for instrument repair, which evolved into renting instruments and, ultimately, launching his own business.

Don Dillon is an industry original! Throughout his 25-plus years in non-profit association management, Don has represented some of the best-known organizations in the music industry, most notably the Piano Manufacturers Association International and National Piano Foundation. Don's love of the business and his management firm team increased the membership and scope of non-for-profit music groups like the Retail Print Music Dealers Association, the National Association of School Music Dealers, International Society of Bassists and American Viola Society.

David Gage is a string-bass luthier who is known within the industry as the man who listens not only to music but to the musicians, to produce the instrument that bests works for each player.  His devotion to his customers pushed him into wanting to do the best he could in design and in craftwork.  Along with his renowned instruments, David teamed with Ned Steinberger to create the Realist Pickup, a transducer for bass, cello, violin, viola and mandolin.  In addition to his craft, David and his wife Judy, are well known in music circles for supporting musicians and promoting their

Endre Granat prolonged the legacy of his former teacher and friend by writing The Heifetz Scale Book. The method book, published by Lauren Keiser, put down what Maestro Jascha Heifetz never did, his teaching philosophy and techniques on paper.  Endre became very close to the maestro and played viola with him for years. This publication is just one chapter in Endre’s vast and interesting musical journey. His father, a violinist, turned his son on to the instrument at just 4 years old. By the age of 8 he was already being trained at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, a school he w

Gerhard Klier’s grandfather, Anton Schrötter, owned a violin shop and workshop in Cheb/Eger. In the 1920s several of Gerhard’s relatives moved to the United States. His uncle, Roman Klier, ended up working for Wurlitzer repairing violins, while Gerhard’s grand uncle, Andrew Schrötter, opened a workshop in New York. Gerhard grew up in in the Czech Republic and went to school in Kraslice/Graslitz, specializing in building musical instruments. After a career in the research and development field at Amati, Gerhard was allowed to emigrate to West Germany in 1967.

Ernst Lang married Paula Prüller 1958 in Luby, Czech Republic, formerly named Schönbach, and both came from families involved in the production of musical instruments. Ernst Lang’s father, Rudolf, made violins and violas while Paula’s father, Andreas Prüller, owned a company producing purflings for violins, cellos, and guitars. After World War II, the Czech government started nationalizing production facilities and Paula and Ernst Lang’s parents were recruited to work at Cremona in Luby where they both eventually joined the company.

Matt Lisle grew up surrounded by the resonant sounds of music in South Texas, where his father was a devoted orchestra teacher. Alongside his sister, Matt performed regularly at church, nurturing a lifelong appreciation for musical expression. After serving ten years in the U.S. Navy, he returned home to join his family’s music store, where he discovered a talent for meticulous instrument repair, especially of violins, violas, and cellos. As the family business expanded from a single location to four, Matt remained committed to delivering expertly crafted, highly playable instrume

Andy Marshall has had a deep and rich musical education both in the classroom and on stage. In 1986 he established THD Electronics to focus on manufacturing guitar amplifiers.

Natalie Morrison grew up in a very musical family, both of her parents were percussionists and her brother played saxophone. She was never pushed into music, but it was important to her parents that she had access to music education. She picked the violin and eventually the viola and fell in love with the instrument and the experience of being in an orchestra. Natalie was able to travel to Europe with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which performed in Europe and Carnegie Hall in New York. Knowing she did not want to perform for a living, Natalie, thanks to her father Bob Morrison,

Frank Schlegel was born in 1967 to a family of musical instrument makers in Markneukirchen. Like so many families in this region, he and his father, Klaus Schlegel, carry on the tradition of crafting violins. His grandfather made mandolins and on his mother’s side, the Stöhr family, were bow makers. Frank‘s father, Klaus Schlegel, founded their fine workshop in 1967 where they make violins, violas, and cellos. Frank has had a passion for wood since he was young and also learned to play the violin. While not required, Frank believes that the ability of a luthier to play the instrum

Ned Steinberger is known around the world for his innovative instrument designs. His guitars and basses created without the traditional headstock gained wide popularity in the 1980s rock era and have come to be known simply as Steinbergers. When he formed NS Designs in 1990, Ned focused on electric classical instruments such as the double bass, bass cello, cello, viola and violin. Ned’s passion for making musical instruments is clear in the sound of each of his products. He remains one of the great innovators of the music products industry. 

Rick Thacker is one of five kids in his family, all of which became multi instrumentalists. Rick pursued violin and viola beginning with the Suzuki Method when he was just three years old. The process of learning these instruments was not easy for him, however, when he began lessons with a new teacher when he was 13, a teacher who played along with Rick, something clicked. He learned all he could about his instruments and the learning process, becoming a teacher himself just three years later. He was giving private lessons and teaching at his church when he began thinking about th