Sam Billings violin, 2022, Guarneri model, Los Angeles, USA

This instrument is part of our fifth annual Contemporary American Makers Exhibition, 2022

My first violins were made in 2000 while studying with Rebecca Elliott at The Chicago School of Violin Making. I continued to refine my craft from 2003-2013 in Chicago, where I was represented by several violin dealers, including the world class firms of Kenneth Warren & Son, Carl Becker & Son, and Bein & Fushi. During this time I built over one hundred instruments that were acquired by discerning players such as Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of the Takács Quartet, and Yvonne Lam of Eighth Blackbird. I currently build my violins on a Guarneri pattern at my studio in Los Angeles.