Gregg T. Alf (born 1957 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

) is a prominent contemporary American

violin maker A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

based in Ann Arbor,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Alf made his first

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

in 1975. Later, he spent eight years in Cremona,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he graduated from the International Violin Making School and established a growing reputation for his work. In 1984 Gregg returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and together with

Joseph Curtin Joseph Curtin is an American contemporary violinmaker who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is recognised as one of the world's greatest violinmakers. He was a 2005 recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant". He has also directed ...

, founded the violin-making studios of Curtin & Alf. His partnership with Joseph Curtin attracted the attention of numerous stars of the violin world, including Elmar Oliveira, Ruggiero Ricci, and Zvi Zeitlin. In 1993 a Curtin and Alf violin made for Oliveira set a record at a Sotheby's auction for the highest price paid for a violin by a living maker. In 1997 he opened Alf Studios at the same location in Ann Arbor. Replicas of classic Italian instruments formed the basis of his early work. But, Gregg also uses science and technology to better understand the acoustical foundations of his craft. Since 1996 he has been a member and facilitator of the Oberlin Summer Violin Making Workshops. In recent years he has become a recognized expert on the acoustical properties of violins. He has also received numerous awards from the Violin Society of America for his work.Competition

References

External links

* American musical instrument makers American luthiers Bowed string instrument makers People from Ann Arbor, Michigan Living people 1957 births {{US-music-bio-stub