Photo credit: Daniel Lane
Lutherie 2026
SATURDAY 2nd MAY 2026
Newark Town Hall, Market Place
Newark-on-Trent NG24 1DU
This year’s conference will be a must for violin makers. More details can be found here.
Booking can be done here through Eventbrite.
Friday 1st May 2026
Lutherie Student Forum
The Student Forum is open to students and recent graduates. More details can be found here.
To book a ticket for the Student Forum, go to Eventbrite
Friday Night Social
There will be a social event from 19.00 on the evening of Friday 1st May at the Fox and Crown, Appleton Gate, Newark, NG24 1JY (or ///fact.songbook.messed)
Bring your fiddles - all tunes welcome!
For updates and booking reminders, please join our mailing list.
Our booklet detailing the history of Newark School of Violinmaking is still available. Scroll down for details or click here.
Lutherie Day Saturday 2nd May 2026: Programme
Due to illness, we have had a change of speaker. Unfortunately Christian Bayon can no longer attend, but we are extremely grateful to an old friend Hans Johannsson for stepping into the breach. Hans has a long career as a maker of fine instruments and has a history of enquiry and experimentation so will fit the bill perfectly.
09.30 - 10.30: Registration, tea/coffee, traders
10.30 From material to music: How strings can solve sound and response challenges - Part 1
Bernhard Rieger and Philip Zupancic - Thomastik-Infeld GmbH (more details)
11.30 - 12.00: Tea/coffee, traders
12.00: From material to music: How strings can solve sound and response challenges - Part 2
Bernhard Rieger and Philip Zupancic - Thomastik-Infeld GmbH
13.00 - 14.15 Lunch is included in your booking
14.15: Newark 50 years on - some methods and observations.
Hans Johannsson (more details)
15.15 - 15.45 Tea/coffee, traders
15.45 Violas - a dealer’s perspective
Sean Bishop (more details)
16.45 Close
Student/Recent Graduate Forum
Lutherie is keen to support violin making students, and those new to the industry.
Our Student Forum will take place at Newark Town Hall on Friday 1st May 2026.
• Tool sale by the RAB Trust www.rabtrust.org, where students can buy
donated tools, books and materials at well below market price.
Venue: Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark-on-Trent NG24 1DU
Programme:
10.00 - Tool sale for students and recent graduates only, organised by the RAB Trust
11.00 - Will Szott - Holding it together: Glue in violin Making
An overview of modern and historical glues, application methods and how to avoid getting stuck.
12.30 - Lunch - please bring your own lunch or go to one of the local cafés
13.30 - Malcolm Siddall - The history and development of the violin scroll
15.00 - RAB tool sale, now open to all
16.00 - End
To book a place, please go to Eventbrite
Traders
An important fixture of Lutherie from its inception.
The confirmed names of our 2026 Traders are:
Alpentonholz
W. E. Hills & Sons
Alexander Accessories
The Sound Post
Bow Brand International
and the RAB Trust will be running their popular Tool Sale again!
See here for more details.
If you would like to book a trader’s table, please contact us: admin@lutherieuk.org
Charity partners
It’s a tradition of Lutherie to support a charity; this year we support Luthiers sans Frontières. Click here for more about their work and how you can help.
Newark School of Violin Making The first 50 years - 1972-2022
Edited by Helen Michetschläger
This booklet details the history of the school from its inception to the present day. Illustrated with many photographs from the 50 years of the school, it covers all aspects including how it all started, the impact the school has had on the violin making world, and its high and low points. It is 48 pages in length, A4 size, full colour throughout.
Contents:
The history of Newark School of Violin Making by Ariane Todes
Timeline: Major dates in the history of the school
Map and chart: Representation of former Newark students worldwide
List of staff at NSVM 1972-2023
List of students from 1972-2023
Interviews with former students
The booklet is now on sale to anywhere in the world for £18 plus postage and packing, and will be available at the conference.
