Joseph Curtin Biography
Joseph Curtin is a violinmaker, writer, researcher,
and 2005
MacArthur Fellow. Born in 1953 in Toronto, Canada, Curtin
began violin lessons at age 12. He went on to study music and philosophy
at the University of Toronto; and viola performance with the Israeli
soloist Rivka Golani.
In 1977 Curtin took up violin making under the guidance of the Otto Erdesz. He subsequently worked as a maker in Toronto, Paris, and Cremona, and then in 1985 moved to Ann Arbor, where he and Gregg Alf set up shop as Curtin & Alf. Twelve years later Curtin opened his own studios.
Joseph Curtin has written extensively on the art and science of violinmaking, and is a frequent contributor to The Strad, Strings, and VSA Papers. Since the early 1990s, Curtin has pursued a strong interest in acoustics and innovation . In 2002 he and Fan Tao co-founded the VSA Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, which they continue to co-direct. Curtin lives with his wife, singer/song-writer/performance artist Jesse Richards and their two dogs.
extended Joseph Curtin biography
In 1977 Curtin took up violin making under the guidance of the Otto Erdesz. He subsequently worked as a maker in Toronto, Paris, and Cremona, and then in 1985 moved to Ann Arbor, where he and Gregg Alf set up shop as Curtin & Alf. Twelve years later Curtin opened his own studios.
Joseph Curtin has written extensively on the art and science of violinmaking, and is a frequent contributor to The Strad, Strings, and VSA Papers. Since the early 1990s, Curtin has pursued a strong interest in acoustics and innovation . In 2002 he and Fan Tao co-founded the VSA Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, which they continue to co-direct. Curtin lives with his wife, singer/song-writer/performance artist Jesse Richards and their two dogs.
