VSA New Instrument Exhibit

The final exhibit spotlight of the year is Daniel Salini!

Come see Daniel’s work at the convention tomorrow!

Daniel has been in Utah for 30 years, where moved from Minneapolis in 1995. He works alongside many other local makers, where there is an environment of youthful, energetic creativity. He provides violins, violas, and cellos.

In addition to new instruments, he provides adjustments, bow rehairs, and repairs. He has been in the trade for 30 years and continues to learn each day, and recently finding it liberating to play with dimensions and wood choice.

He considers himself very lucky to have worked with some of the best, including Jennifer Becker, Perry Daniels, Frederik Bethke, Gary Vessel, and John Young just to name a few. He has been told by many that he has a knack for adjusting and setting up instruments to reach the personal preference of the musician.

Daniel is also a player and grew up in a family of musicians, so his goal is to communicate with clients about ideas and concepts of sound, and then find the right playability for the individual. The sound and concept of his instruments is to provide an instrument that is easy to play and has a character to the sound which both projects and has warmth. He plays steel guitar, guitar and fiddle. He has been lucky to know so many great musicians locally and nationally. These days he just enjoys playing at home with the occasional gig out on the town.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

Exhibit spotlight of the day is Garth Lee

For as long as he can remember, Garth has been involved in music and woodworking and is passionate about the creative process of making instruments from the violin family. Garth trained at the prestigious Newark School of Violin Making in England. During this time he had the opportunity to study violins, violas, and cellos from the workshops of Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati, and others. These occasions inspired Garth in his own work and he went on to graduate with Distinction and the Highest Honours awarded in more than five years. This achievement was made possible in part by mentorship from Glen A. Collins. Garth Lee Strings was established in Winnipeg in 2008 and quickly gained the respect of the local professional string community and beyond. Garth’s instruments are played by professional musicians throughout Canada as well as England, South Africa, Norway, and New Zealand. He is a member of the Violin Society of America and enjoys attending the world renowned Oberlin College Violin Making Workshop. Garth maintains a strong commitment to the community by volunteering his time to do repair work for Sistema Winnipeg, a highly-respected program aimed at using music for social change.

For more information about the New Instrument Exhibit taking place at the Violin Society of America convention in Minneapolis November 19-22, 2025 visit www.vsaweb.org

Exhibit spotlight today is Nicholas Moen

Nick is a graduate of Hampshire College with a concentration in music theory and composition, and graduated from the Violin Repair program at Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing in 2017. He joined the team at the Paul A Schmitt Violin Shop shortly after, and has been responsible for managing the professional level repairs, set-ups and day-to-day operations of the shop since 2023. In his spare time, he makes violins in his basement - this is his third.