Name Joseph Curtin Awards MacArthur Fellowship Known for Luthier | Education University of Toronto Role Violinmaker | |
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Movement Violin Society of America Website josephcurtinstudios.com | ||
World class detroiters joseph curtin violin maker
Joseph Curtin is an American contemporary violinmaker who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Contents
- World class detroiters joseph curtin violin maker
- Joseph Curtin HD
- Early luthery
- Curtin Alf
- Digital recreation of violin sound
- Notable players
- References
He was a 2005 recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant". He has also directed workshops on violin design through the Violin Society of America, a group of builders.
Curtin is known for using technology such as MRIs, Lasers, and other scanning devices to measure the acoustics of violins, to aid in his designs. Curtin uses the information gathered to create replicas of famous antique violins, as well as research for more avante-garde designs including instruments made out of carbon fibre.
Joseph Curtin HD
Early luthery
Joseph first learned violin making from Otto Erdesz, who was married to his viola teacher. Erdesz gave Curtin material for his first twenty violins.
Curtin & Alf
Curtin was co-founder with Gregg Alf of the firm Curtin & Alf. In 1993, a Curtin and Alf violin made for Elmar Oliveira set a record at a Sotheby's auction for the highest price paid for a violin by a living maker. Alf and Curtin dissolved their partnership after twelve years, but occasionally collaborate on a project together.
Digital recreation of violin sound
Curtin worked with Gabi Weinreich, John Bell and Alex Sobolev to capture the sound characteristics of many classic violins. They used this data to create a signal processor, that could convert the sound produced by a standard digital violin, and make it sound like a Stradivarius or other classic violin. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin and author of "This is your brain on music" was presented with recordings of an actual Stradivarius and a recording of a processed violin, and guessed incorrectly as to which was the classic violin.
Notable players
The following are notable violinists who use or have used violins made by Joseph Curtin.