Ute Zahn 15 1/2" "da Salo" model viola, 2023, Minneapolis, MN, USA | Metzler Violins
sweet, lush, smooth
About the Instrument
This viola’s lush and versatile timbre shines through with little effort, and it has a particularly lovely alto register. An excellent instrument for someone searching for a smaller viola without sacrificing tone. Modeled after a 1580 Gasparo da Salò viola, the body of this instrument is a unique as its sound, with beautiful double purfling, wide bouts, and a pronounced slope to its single-piece half slab cut poplar back. The ribs of crafted from the same material, while its neck and scroll are of flamed American maple. The luthier also honored the 16th century Brescian style and history in her thoughtful antiquing and shading, including craquelé on its apricot varnish.
Interior label reads: “Ute Zahn / Minneapolis 2023”
Length: 396 mm
Upper Bouts: 201 mm
Middle: 140 mm
Lower Bouts: 248 mm
About the Maker
Ute Zahn (1964- ) is a contemporary Germany luthier based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Beginning to study music at an early age, Zahn was born into a musical family. She constructed her first violin at eighteen, and began to study the craft in earnest. In 1987, Zahn graduated with distinction from the Newark School of Violin Making in England, then working as a maker and restorer the Beverley Music Centre in East Yorkshire. Zahn then moved to Hong Kong, setting up her own shop as a luthier and restorer in 1992, while also working as a freelance cellist throughout the region. Six years later, Zahn joined the Vintage Violins atelier in Vancouver, before settling in Minneapolis in 1999. Initially, Zahn worked in Claire Givens Violins, then House of Note for some years, before setting up her own shop with bowmaker Jesse Berndt. Zahn has been a longstanding member of the Luthiers sans Frontieres nonprofit, as well as the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Violin Society of America (VSA), and the Twin Cities Musicians’ Union. She taught violin making at Minnesota State College from 2012-2016, and has attended the Violin Society of America’s Violin Makers’ Workshop in Oberlin since 2012.
http://www.utezahnviolinmaker.com
Description
sweet, lush, smooth
About the Instrument
This viola’s lush and versatile timbre shines through with little effort, and it has a particularly lovely alto register. An excellent instrument for someone searching for a smaller viola without sacrificing tone. Modeled after a 1580 Gasparo da Salò viola, the body of this instrument is a unique as its sound, with beautiful double purfling, wide bouts, and a pronounced slope to its single-piece half slab cut poplar back. The ribs of crafted from the same material, while its neck and scroll are of flamed American maple. The luthier also honored the 16th century Brescian style and history in her thoughtful antiquing and shading, including craquelé on its apricot varnish.
Interior label reads: “Ute Zahn / Minneapolis 2023”
Length: 396 mm
Upper Bouts: 201 mm
Middle: 140 mm
Lower Bouts: 248 mm
About the Maker
Ute Zahn (1964- ) is a contemporary Germany luthier based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Beginning to study music at an early age, Zahn was born into a musical family. She constructed her first violin at eighteen, and began to study the craft in earnest. In 1987, Zahn graduated with distinction from the Newark School of Violin Making in England, then working as a maker and restorer the Beverley Music Centre in East Yorkshire. Zahn then moved to Hong Kong, setting up her own shop as a luthier and restorer in 1992, while also working as a freelance cellist throughout the region. Six years later, Zahn joined the Vintage Violins atelier in Vancouver, before settling in Minneapolis in 1999. Initially, Zahn worked in Claire Givens Violins, then House of Note for some years, before setting up her own shop with bowmaker Jesse Berndt. Zahn has been a longstanding member of the Luthiers sans Frontieres nonprofit, as well as the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Violin Society of America (VSA), and the Twin Cities Musicians’ Union. She taught violin making at Minnesota State College from 2012-2016, and has attended the Violin Society of America’s Violin Makers’ Workshop in Oberlin since 2012.
http://www.utezahnviolinmaker.com
