At last - we are back!
After the pandemic forced its absence the BVMA will once again be hosting a conference this autumn, in beautiful Halsway Manor in Somerset, on the weekend of 15/16th October 2022.
We are putting together an event concerning our most basic material – WOOD!
There will be much to interest both violin and bow makers. Including a visit by a distinguished musician, Boris Kucharsky, accompanied by his fine Carlo Bergonzi violin, the first time a classical Cremonese instrument of this quality will have been heard and seen at a BVMA conference.
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Peter Ratcliff will host a discussion on how dendrochronological research can cause re-assessment and challenge some of the preconceived ideas about wood “quality”, selection and importantly, seasoning.
Peter Ratcliff trained as a Luthier in London, graduating in 1983 and is a member of EILA, the Entente internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers.
By the late 1990s, an interest in dendrochronology gradually became, with the help of colleague John Topham, his major focus.
He developed his own precision measuring system, cross-dating and measuring software. He has accumulated thousands of tree-ring patterns from instruments and other sources, creating one of the most reliable sources of dendrochronological cross-matching information, an invaluable resource now sought by many of the worlds’ experts, players, and Museums.
Andreas Pahler, owner of Alpentonholz, will talk through the process of selecting trees in the mountains, cutting of billets as well as storage and drying of wood for musical instruments with reference to future challenges.
He will bring wood to sell throughout the weekend.
Andreas is a Mittenwald trained violin maker and worked for workshops in Lyon and Germany. After studying forestry he opened a saw mill at his parents farmers house close to Munich. Since 20 years he is sourcing tone wood in the Austrian and South Tyrol mountain region as well as in Bosnia.
There will be a round table discussion with Tim Baker, Derek Wilson and Evan Orman concerning the selection of Pernambuco wood for bow makers.
Boris Kucharsky, international soloist and chamber musician and former protégé of Yehudi Menuhin will speak about his 31 years with the 1735 “Baron Knoop” Carlo Bergonzi violin, and his experience playing alongside some of the most famous Cremonese violins.
He will demonstrate its qualities, and also the qualities of several fine bows, and will give a recital with piano in the evening (Saturday).
We hope the ‘Baron Knoop’ will be joined by one and possibly two other distinguished Cremonese violins which will also be heard.
Andrew Ryan will give a talk presenting methods for measuring the physical properties of wood and will show their application in violin construction.
Andrew Ryan trained at the Violin Making School of America, and is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. He has published articles in The Strad, essays on the work of Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesù," lectured at conferences, and taught violin making at The Violin Society of America's Oberlin Workshops. As workshop foreman at Reuning and Son Violins in Boston from 1994 to 2011 he oversaw the restoration of many fine and important instruments.
Andrew has devoted himself to acoustic research and the creation of new instruments. Well versed in the working methods of the Cremonese masters, he has been augmenting these practices with an array of analytic methods both acoustic and geometric. These inquiries extend analog methods of modal and material analysis into the digital realm and inform his multifaceted understanding of both the built works of the classical masters, his own completed works, and all aspects of his future projects.
Practical details:
The conference takes place from noon Saturday, 15th October until 4pm Sunday 16th at Halsway Manor, Somerset
Accommodation: There are hotels and B&B’s nearby. There is camping and space for camper vans at Halsway Manor
Tickets will be on sale from July 6th via the BVMA website. Cost is £120 for members. A limited number of discounted tickets for students will be available at £60.
Supper on Saturday and lunch on Saturday and Sunday will be catered for and are included in the price
Tea and coffee are provided for the duration of the conference. The bar will be open for the purchase of drinks at mealtimes and late into Saturday evening
The conference will be filmed (not live streamed) for the benefit of those members who are unable to attend. The recording will be exclusively available to BVMA members on the website.
We recommend early booking to avoid disappointment!
More details to be announced nearer the time