Welcome to the VMAAI
2024 VMAAI Convention Presenters
Click on a presenter's picture to view their biography:
Christopher Germain
Vito Vissicaro
Zoran Stilin
Alan Copeland
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Pablo Alfaro
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Hands-On Morning Workshops
Lauren Roth
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Christopher Germain
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Christopher Germain makes award-winning violins, violas and cellos from his studio in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Germain graduated from the Chicago School of Violin Making in 1985. From 1985 to 1991 he worked for the Chicago firms, Kenneth Warren & Son Ltd. and Bein and Fushi Inc., focusing on restorations of rare stringed instruments. In 1995, Mr. Germain was invited by legendary restorer Vahahn Nigogosian to be an instructor at the Oberlin Restoration Workshop. Mr. Germain became director of the VSA/Oberlin Violinmaker’s Workshop in 1997, which recently celebrated it’s 20th Anniversary.
Mr. Germain has served as the President of The American Federation of Violin and Bowmakers as well at The Violin Society of America and has also served on the Governing Boards of both organizations. In 2006, he organized The American Violin, a historical perspective on the history of violin making, which took place at The Library of Congress in Washington DC. He is co-author of The American Violin (2016 AFVBM). In addition, Mr. Germain is the author of numerous other articles, which have appeared in publications and scholarly journals, such as The Journal of The Violin Society of America, VSA Letters, The Strad magazine, Strings and others.
Mr. Germain is also a member of Entente Internationale Maitres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art and has served as judge on numerous international violin making competitions, including The Violin Society of America International Competition, the International Triennale in Cremona, Italy, the China International Violinmaking Competition and others. He has lectured on violinmaking and demonstrated his craft at venues around the world.
Vito Vissicaro
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Vito Vissicaro, born in São Paulo, Brazil is a stringed instrument bow maker and restorer. In 1994, he began studying the Bill Salchow Method of bow making under the guidance of Lynn Hannings. After working independently in Arizona, United States and Lisbon, Portugal, he refined his craftsmanship with Floriano Schaeffer, world renowned for his knowledge of Pernambuco wood. Early on, Pierre Guillaume, an expert bow maker from Belgium, influenced Vissicaro’s techniques for finishing.
More recently Vissicaro had the privilege to train with Charles Espey, a true master of the French bow-making tradition.
Mr. Vissicaro is owner co-founder of Arcos Brasil USA, the premier distributor of bows and instruments in North America since 1997. He also is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, the Violin Society of America, the American String Teachers Association, The National Association of School Music Dealers and the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative.
Zoran Stilin
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Zoran Stilin is a native of Zagreb, Croatia and a prize-winner of the former Yugoslavia National Cello Competition. He was a performing soloist with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio-Television Orchestra, Music Academy Symphony Orchestra, and Gaudemus Chamber Orchestra.
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Zoran continued his studies in Switzerland, and later the University of Arizona, where he received a Master of Music under the direction of Gordon Epperson and Peter Rejto. During this time in Arizona is when Zoran first developed his skills as a restorer and maker of fine string instruments. He was a student of the late Karl Roy, German violin maker and one of the world’s leading authorities on violin making.
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By combining his passion for music and fine instruments, Zoran offers a complete approach to instrument making and repair. His instruments and bows have won top awards at the Violin Makers Association of Arizona International Competition.
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He is a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra; principal cellist of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, with which he has performed as a soloist in previous years; and an active solo and chamber musician.
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Alan Copeland
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Learning woodworking and how to play the cello started early in his life. Though violinmaking began later, the skills developed in those activities continue to be directly applied in the making of violins, violas, and cellos. Training as a mechanical engineer was received at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alan worked as a mechanical engineer for over 30 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before taking up violinmaking as a full-time activity.
His teachers of violinmaking include master violinmakers Edward C. Campbell and Thomas Oliver Croen. Valuable learning has been gained through the Violin Society of America Oberlin Violin Making and Violin Acoustics Workshops.
Pablo Alfaro
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Originally from Mexico City, Pablo Alfaro graduated from the Taller de Laudería at the Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa, in addition he attended the advanced 5 year program of specialization with Gary Vessel in Utah, USA. Pablo Alfaro has received 54 awards in violinmaking competitions worldwide, including 18 First Places and 18 Second Places. In 2009 Pablo Alfaro was the Grand Champion Contest Winner of the Bob Wallace Memorial Award. In 2022 won the South East Prestige Award for Instrument Repair Specialist of the Year in Georgia.
Mr. Alfaro is a member of the AFVBM, past member of the Board of Governors as well as conference speaker. As a member of VSA (Violin Society of America) Pablo attends the Oberlin workshops regularly and has been a speaker for VSA Conventions. Pablo is also a member of VMAAI (Violin Makers Association of Arizona International), serving on the Board of Directors and past President. In addition Pablo Alfaro has been a tone, varnish and workmanship judge as well as a conference speaker for VMAAI. Mr. Alfaro is also a member of SVA (Southern Violin Association) serving on the Board of Directors and current President, he also has been a conference speaker for SVA and Tone Judge.
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Pablo received tutelage from great masters as Rene Morel, Hans Nebel, and Jerry Pasewicz and Chris Germain among others.
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Pablo Alfaro has been a faculty member for the Universidad Autonoma de Puebla's International Music Festival, the Florida International University's "Animato" Music Camp, the "Orchestral Studies for Musical Studies" at Reinhardt College in Georgia, Nessonvaux Music Festival in Belgium and EMBA Veracruz, Mexico.
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Pablo Alfaro was appointed as principal technician and foreman for five consecutive years at Summerhays Music Center in Utah. Also Pablo joined the staff of Williams Gengakki Violins in Atlanta, GA as a restorer for one year. Currently Mr. Alfaro works in his own shop "Alfaro Violins, LLC" in Decatur, GA, restoring fine old instruments, as well as creating new violins, violas and cellos.
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Pablo Alfaro is as well a fine violinist, freelancing and playing professionally since 1982.
Biography incoming
Lauren Roth
Presentation: TBA
Lauren Roth is concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and joined the faculty of the University of Arizona as an Assistant Professor of Violin beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. Prior to these positions, she was concertmaster of the Canton Symphony. In addition to her concerts and studio in Southern Arizona, Ms. Roth spends summers teaching and performing around the world at various festivals including Mainly Mozart in San Diego, Prague Summer Nights in the Czech Republic, Marrowstone Music festival in Seattle, and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA. She has taught at Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA). Ms. Roth earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of William Preucil, and she was accepted into his prestigious Concertmaster Academy. She holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington in Violin Performance and Italian Studies. Outside of music, Ms. Roth enjoys yoga, playing and watching sports, tennis, and spending time with her nieces and nephews.
