Maker of Violins, Violas and Cellos

About Thurmond Knight:

Thurmond Knight's violin shop sits on 160 acres of woods and meadows in Glover, Vermont. Here, he builds violins, violas and cellos, all by hand. From 1992 until 2000, Thurmond was  German Master Maker Karl Roy's teaching assistant at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham.  

Thurmond at his workbench

        Owning a full time violin shop in Montpelier, Vermont,  Thurmond operated an instrument rental program, performed repairs and restorations and made new instruments. In 1995, the retail business was sold when he and his family moved to their Glover farm.  
       Thurmond began playing the cello at the ripe old age of 35, studying with Virginia Bradley, and later played in the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra located in Barre, Vermont.  He played with the Chandler String Quartet for almost 10 years, and now performs in Wynden Strings Trio, with harpist Jenny Mayor and flutist Sarah Elizabeth Kinsley.  
       He became interested in violin repair and violinmaking when his own cello suffered severe damage and was taken to a local luthier.  Always interested in wood working, Thurmond asked the luthier where one might learn the trade and was directed to the violinmaking program at the University of New Hampshire.  He began attending the sessions that same year and a whole new career was born!

Master maker Karl Roy, carving a violin scroll, with Thurmond looking on.