My teacher, David Brown, is a violin maker based in Victoria, and was the luthier in residence at the Montsalvat, (Australia’s oldest artist community on the outskirts of Melbourne’s Yarra Valley) for many years. He undertook and completed his apprenticeship there under Warren Nolan-Fordham, a renowned innovative Australian maker. Yes this is really was his workshop
An artist in every sense of the word I was drawn to David’s willingness to embrace tradition with a creative an innovative spirit. As a polymath in the true renaissance style his life is full of diversity an exploration and mastery of fine cultural arts which inform his violin making
If I were to described my apprenticeship with him its best described as a Japanese soto-deshi koan style education, mixed with periods of direct instruction.
Davids journey to violin making began as a watchmaker, winning a scholarship to the Nuechatel School of Watchmaking in Switzerland when we was 22 years old. In Davids teachings I can see his heritage as a watchmaker really comes to the fore, it’s that ‘next level precision’ and a skill set that really complements traditional violin making nicely.
Most of the time David makes his violins from Australian timbers, often using Tasmanian myrtle or blackwood and King Billy Pine. “King Billy pine from Tasmania is much sought after by European violin-makers as it has such special qualities,” he says. “It’s one of the few timbers in the world that can be used for violins and is very hard to get as it’s endemic only to southern Tasmania.”
A former president of the Australian instrument makers association his work has been supported by the Australia council for creative development and the Australian Research Council as well.
Where possible I like to use these timbers as well, violins live in the Australian climate so what could be better than Australian timbers – right down to using huon pine for my bow plugs !
David’s also a prominent practitioner of Japanese cultural arts. These including Aikido a mind body spirit martial art, (which was how I met him originally). He is recognised by Japan and internationally as a Shihan or master teacher and a sought after touting instructor.
He learnt the shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute) instrument with famed Australia artist Riley Lee and began making them from Australian timbers as well. Sumi-e, a form of Japanese calligraphy he studied with Andre Sollier and has studied Kyudo as well.
Sources
https://cosettepaneque.com/montsalvat-artist-david-brown/
https://sites.google.com/site/dbshak/about?authuser=0
https://bjma.com.au/bjma-japan/