SUPPORTING A GREATER CAUSE
The International Alliance for Violin and Bow Makers for Endangered Species (the “Alliance-USA”) has invited Vermont Violins’ owner and founder, Kathy Reilly, to join their management board. The Alliance-USA is a non-for-profit international organization dedicated to support policies, projects and rules that conserve precious natural resources used in the violin-making trade for the future.
“Membership on this Board is a tremendous opportunity for me both personally and professionally…it’s an opportunity to really connect with other violin makers, teachers, dealers and players to make a difference!” says Reilly.
The violin making trade has historically used materials that are no longer environmentally sustainable. Some of these materials, like ivory tortoise and whalebone, have already been restricted. Concern today rests with Pernambuco (a rare wood used in bow making that is grown in the Brazilian coastal forests) and ebony (a dense, black wood that is extremely threatened or endangered).
Vermont Violins has already implemented several changes to avoid these rare materials. “None of the violins we make use ebony fingerboards or tailpieces,” Reilly remarked, “And we’ve already ceased to import new Pernambuco bows from Brazil in recognition of their government’s work to clamp down on the illegal wood trade. All the bows we sell come from legal sources and we are encouraging our customers to consider wood-alternatives, like carbon fiber.”
International governmental bodies have set the stage for a lot more restrictions coming soon to both Pernambuco and ebony. Plus, the added pressures of global warming are putting pressures on traditionally common species like maple and spruce. “As an industry, we need to work harder to educate on the environmental impact of what we are using to build our wonderful instruments. Making great music should not come at a cost to the planet,” says Reilly.
Kathy Reilly brings years of experience to this field. “My interest in our natural world predates my involvement in the violin trade” says Reilly. “Before I even started teaching violin, I was shoulder-deep in conservation issues. I studied the effects of Colonialism on natural resource conservation in Kenya during College, worked for the Friends of the Earth on tropical timber issues, earned a Masters in the Field Naturalist program at the University of Vermont and even worked for several years with the Nature Conservancy. Bringing this background to my current work at Vermont Violins and the Alliance is a perfect full-circle for me” she adds.
Vermont Violins is the maker of the V. Richelieu ™ line of violins and violas. “We make them to sound and look beautiful, but we avoid ebony. We are using alternative materials now: Sonowood and Gaiawood – perfect all-natural materials made from compressed wood and compressed paper.” As the North American distributor for Sonowood, Vermont Violins has been introducing these materials to makers and shops around the country—with wonderful reception.
“The violin making world is pretty conservative” says Reilly. “Makers are often reluctant to move away from the traditional materials used. But the increasing rarity of ebony, recent restrictions in the trade of Pernambuco, and the overall rising costs of these materials (not to mention just a desire to do the right thing) is creating movement and change. The Alliance is another way I can contribute: working side-by-side with some of the leading dealers and makers in the world to introduce alternative materials and a more realistic approach to materials resource planning. It’s a great honor and I can’t wait to get started!”
Vermont Violins offers Sales, service, rentals and restoration of violin family instruments and is the maker of the V. Richelieu ™ instruments. For more information, please contact info@vermontviolins.com or visit our website: www.vermontviolins.com