RIN:11 Restoration Workshop at Oberlin

The Stringed Instrument Restoration Workshop held at Oberlin College in cooperation with the Violin Society of America has attracted the attention of violin makers and restorers throughout the world. Over the past five years, this four-week course has become "The Graduate School of Violin Restoration" for dozens of highly skilled craftsmen. Participants have come from Armenia, Germany, England, Denmark, Canada, Australia, and China as well as from all over the United States.

2. What draws these men and women, some already skilled craftsmen with established shops, to spend a month in the sleepy little college town of Oberlin, Ohio? Having attended three sessions (1988, 1989, and 1991), I have discovered that much of the drawing power of this open forum workshop is the remarkable director; Vahakn Nigogosian, or Nigo, as he prefers to be called.

3. Possessing the rich background of an apprenticeship in the shop of Marcel Vatelot in Paris and then for many years working at the side of Simone Fernando Sacconi, Nigo is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge with regard to violin restoration. Throughout the course of the workshop he is an "open book." Nothing is hidden or kept back from his students. Herein lies much of the great attraction for those who dedicate themselves to this intensive learning experience each summer.

4. Adding to the vast store of knowledge that Nigo willingly shares, the workshop has been enhanced by Kenneth Meyer, a graduate of the American School of Violin Making in Salt Lake City. He worked in the shop of Rene' Morelle, and also as Nigo's assistant, before opening his own shop. Nigo calls Meyer, "my right arm." Indeed they work well together; although there is at times a variation in their theory or method of work.

5. Other outstanding craftsmen have contributed to the workshop as special instructors spending a week, others teaching the entire four weeks. Among these have been Jeff Robinson, Louz Belini, Joseph Kun, Yung Chin, Horacio Pineiro, and the late Hans Weisshaar. This kaleidoscope of some of the finest restorers in the world has added a balance that keeps the workshop from becoming stagnant with the views of only one school of thought.

6. During lecture sessions there have been times when rather heated disagreements have surfaced. Nigo calls upon the other instructors and pointedly asks, "Do you do it this way?" If the answer is no, then Nigo asks, "Why don't you do it this way?" Clear in my memory are the times when Meyer has said, "Nigo, I don't want to argue with you." And Nigo, smiling broadly, would thump the table lightly with his fist and reply, "I like to argue these things." These friendly arguments eventually are laid aside with a mutual understanding that neither school of thought is wrong -- they are simply different. Emphasizing this, Nigo has ended such discussions by saying in his strong Turkish accent, "You try. See what works for you."

7. Attending this workshop is like stepping into Hans Weisshaar's book, Violin Restoration (co-authored by Margaret Shipman) and applying the theory to your own instruments. Nearly every conceivable repair is in progress on somebody's bench. Edges of tops and backs are repaired or doubled, soundpost patches and bass bar replacement are carefully undertaken. Neck grafting, finish retouching, and complicated rib repairs are simply a matter of course with dedicated instructors guiding, lecturing and demonstrating every step of the way.

8. Oberlin College has graciously provided a spacious, well-lighted sculpture lab and a shop equipped with the necessary power tools for the Stringed Instrument Restoration Workshop. Each participant has bench space facing large windows that line one side of the room. This arrangement provides especially good lighting for matching wood reflection and finish retouching.

9. In addition to the excellent facilities, other advantages present at Oberlin make it an excellent choice as a location for the Restoration Workshop. One of these is the Goodkind Collection of books and other literature about the violin. Housed in the Mudd Library on the Oberlin College Campus, this collection is perhaps the largest of its kind in the world. Participants in the workshop have access to this fine collection during regular library hours. Another wonderful opportunity is the privilege of examining the Caldwell Collection of Baroque viols. The owners of this collection, one of the finest privately owned collections of viols, have generously opened their home for the group to inspect these instruments each year for the past several years. Thus students have had the opportunity to view the work of many schools and periods of instrument making. These resources make an invaluable contribution to the store of knowledge a restorer must amass.

10. Each morning the workshop comes alive with activity at 9:00 as participants resume working on their respective projects. This is a time of sharing information and observing each other's work. Often the relatively quiet atmosphere is broken by Nigo as he sharply claps his hands and calls out, "Boys! Boys! I want you to see this." Everything is put on hold while the entire group gathers around a work bench to observe and discuss a complicated or unusual restoration procedure. These informal sessions are an important part of the learning experience that is taking place.

11. Lectures and demonstrations are worked into most days. Both Kenneth Meyer and Nigogosian excel in their ability to unravel the mysteries of fine restoration. The participants become involved in taking notes, making drawings, and then applying the principles and techniques to their own restoration projects.

12. Nigo says, "My favorite way of teaching is to make the student do the work and then criticize." Thus he corrects weaknesses and develops a sharp eye for detail among his followers.

13. Yung Chin displayed great talent, not only as a master bow maker, but as a master teacher during the week he spent teaching bow repair in 1991. He employed Nigo's favorite method by putting everyone to work at a specific task, then correcting hand position, technique, etc., until the work was being done correctly. Many ordinary tasks such as bow rehairing, grip replacement, and screw adjustments were covered. Then Yung moved deeper into the more complicated work of recambering, tip replacement, and crack repair. Again and again he emphasized the fact that part of being an expert is understanding where one's expertise ends. Some repairs to fine bows must be left to the skilled hands of a master bow maker. While various techniques were discussed, we were encouraged to refer certain repairs to a reputable bow expert rather than attempt the repairs on expensive bows.

14. Learning from Horacio Pineiro was a special privilege to those attending the workshop in 1991. In introducing Pineiro, Nigo called him "one of the best and fastest restorers in the world." Then for emphasis, he added, "Not in America -- I said in the world!" Pineiro carved a beautiful scroll in about three hours while many of us watched in amazement. Observing his work and asking questions became the method of learning from this master craftsman, who, being ill-at-ease with the English language, refrained from lecturing. His skillful demonstrations and to-the-point answers became a source of information far better than any lecture.

15. Technically, the workshop was to run from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. each day, but in practice the starting time was the only hour observed with regularity. Many evenings and late-night hours were spent with instructors giving of themselves to the point of exhaustion. One instructor actually fell asleep at his bench about midnight during one of these marathon efforts.

16. In expressing his dedication to passing on the secrets that have taken him a lifetime to learn, Nigo said, "Bother us! If you want to know, don't leave us alone. If you don't understand, ask us to explain. It was very hard to find out these things when I was your age. Everybody wanted to hide what they did. Here we don't hide anything we do. You are only here for four weeks. It is not enough time! Don't eat! Don't sleep! Learn!"

17. On the final evening of the workshop a special dinner was prepared by the participants in honor of the instructors and those at Oberlin College who had made the workshop possible. That evening, after giving a formal speech, Nigo passed out his business cards and, encouraging us to call him if we needed advice, he said, "If you have questions, ask. Even if you wake me up when I am sleeping I will not be mad."

18. Thus, the Stringed Instrument Restoration Workshop lives on. Not as a four-week class, but as a connection to those who can and are willing to assist the aspiring craftsman in his quest for excellence.

-Rodger A. Stearns