About Me and Links - Contact Me at the Bottom of the Page

I am a professional violin maker and repairman with over 50 years of experience in the retail market of sales, repairs, appraising, and the making of bowed string instruments.

I first studied violin making, at  the age of 14,  under Willis Gault in D.C. He was primarily a self taught maker who also taught over 500 people how to make an instrument, primarily for themselves. 4 of those students went on to make violin making their profession, and one becoming the Musical Instrument Curator at the Smithsonian.

I then proceeded to attend, in 1977, the internationally regarded Chicago School of Violin Making under the teachings of Master Violin Maker Tschu Ho Lee, where I graduated in 1980.  I have made 172 instruments (violins, violas, cello's, bass, Viola d'Amore and Viola da Gamba) and my instruments are played by professional and amateur players throughout the US.

I have also taught approximately 15 individuals how to make instruments, 5 having gone into the profession. I have been a violinist since 1968 and have played with semi-professional and amateur organizations and have performed in many venues in the Eastern US.

In 2007, for health reasons, I needed to retire from the business after becoming severely disabled with CFS/ME, which made it impossible to run a business. 

As always, I recommend taking any instrument needing evaluation or repairs to a violin shop so that it can be seen in person. 

My Education and Employment

• 1973-1974 - Willis Gault School of Violin Making - Washington DC
• 1973-2000 - Orchestra Pit Performer in DC, Chicago and Maryland
• 1973-1975 - Concertmaster for MCYO Chamber Orchestra - Maryland
• 1973-1979 - First Violinist (Trio and Quartet) with Bethesda players  -                  Maryland
• 1973-1985 - JCC Orchestra - Maryland
• 1974-1976 - Instrumental Teacher at the Concord School - Maryland
• 1975-1976 - First chair seconds with MCYO Symphony Orchestra  -                      Maryland
• 1976-1977 - Concertmaster - Frostburg University Orchestra -  Maryland
• 1977-1983 - String Repair Specialist with Washington Music Center  -                Maryland
• 1977-1979 - University of Chicago Orchestra - Chicago
• 1977-1980 - String Repair Specialist with Quinlan and Fabish Music -                   Chicago
• 1978-1980 - Violin Repair Specialist for William Harris Lee & Co. - Chicago
• 1978-1980 - Assistant Teacher at the Chicago School of Violin Making                Chicago
• 1977-1980 - Chicago School of Violin Making - Chicago
• 1981-2007 - Owner of Lashof Violins - Maryland
• 1981-2007 - Technical Director at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater - Maryland
• 1983-1988 - Primary Repair Specialist - Weavers Violin Shop - Maryland
• 1993-1995 - Private Violin Teacher - Maryland

Awards

• 2008 - Chester Petranek Award for outstanding community service in                enriching the musical life of the Washington Metropolitan Area
• 2004 - Mr. Holland’s Opus Service Award for dedication to helping others
• 2003 - American String Teachers Association Certificate of Appreciation

Publications

• 2005 - Community Theater - a Technical Guide
• 2017 - Violin Making and Repairs for the Novice

Useful Links

Any links that are provided below are for informational purposes only and I am not connected to them in any monetary way, nor do I necessarily recommend or endorse their services or products. With the exception of my book, you will never see any instrument or accessory, of any kind, for sale on this site.  

- Violin Society of America - Violin Makers Society, but anyone can join
- American String Teachers Association (ASTA) - professional association of      string teachers
- Chicago School of Violin Making - one of three professional violin making      school in the US, this is where I learned the craft
- North Bennet Street School of Violin Making - in Boston
- The Violin Making School of America - in Salt Lake City
- American Federation of Bow and Violin Makers 
-Great String Identifier
- Another type of String Identifier
- A Guide to Choosing Strings - Your first stop should be the violin store as          two violins of the same brand will sound different with the same strings
- Summer Music Programs - Worldwide guide to summer programs 
- Free Classical Sheet Music Download
- Free Sheet Music - free is only legal if it is not under Copywrite 
- Printable Scales - one, two and three-octave scales
- The Violin Channel - Lots of information on current events in the violin            world
-  Anatomy of a Violin  - some nice history of early stringed instruments