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

I am a professional violin maker and repairman with over 45 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 a self taught maker who also taught over 500 people how to make an instrument, primarily for themselves. Three 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