MOUNT AIRY VIOLINS & BOWS - Key Persons
Adam has played violin for over 25 years, specializing in both classical music and traditional Scottish fiddling. Since joining the shop, he has trained in bow repair and rehairs with Ms. Shaak since 2012. Adam has completed the violin set-up and repair course with restoration expert Hans Nebel, the 2014 and 2015 Oberlin Bow Restoration Workshops, and bow- and frog-making courses with David Hawthorne and David Forbes.
Before lutherie, Efren started playing the cello in 2000, and he studied under Fred Hoeppner of the Colorado Symphony for five years. He attended the Violin Making School of America, instructed by Charles Woolf and Sanghoon Lee, in 2010, where he graduated in 2015. Efren worked in various violin shops throughout the country before starting at Mount Airy Violins & Bows in June 2019. His passion lies in assisting musicians through building, repair, and restoration. When not fixing your stuff, Efren enjoys martial arts, origami, singing, and light video gaming.
Efren de Gala graduated from the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City and worked at shops in Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska before coming to Philadelphia. He plays cello and enjoys making origami.
Elizabeth Perry graduated from the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City under the tutelage of Charles Woolf, Sanghoon Lee and Aubrey Alexander. She started playing the violin at the age of four, has taught elementary orchestra, private lessons and even taught a beginning Mandarin class for kids for a couple years (fun fact: she is fluent in Mandarin). She loves working with players to customize the work to their individual needs. She specializes primarily in new making, repair and restoration work and has attended the Oberlin Restoration Workshops since 2016.
Elizabeth trained with bowmakers Bill Salchow in New York, Jean Grunberger in Paris and Pierre Guillaume in Brussels, Belgium. She began her work at Primavera House of Violins in 1982 and went on to establish Bow Studio of Philadelphia. In 2003 she established Mount Airy Violins & Bows in honor of the shop's present neighborhood. Elizabeth continues her craft and has attended the Oberlin Bowmakers Workshop for over 19 years. Elizabeth plays traditional French, Swedish and old-time fiddle.
A Philadelphia native, Gina has been a dedicated string player since childhood, first learning the violin and later moving toward the viola in her teens. After pursuing a Bachelor's degree in String Pedagogy from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, she has enjoyed a varied career as both a performer and educator throughout the Philadelphia region. In addition to her home studio, Gina held a private violin and viola instructor position at Germantown Academy for 5-years before becoming a full-time office assistant at Mount Airy Violins and Bows, bringing with her a wealth of experience and knowledge working with string players of all ages and experience levels. At the shop, she loves getting to help clients find the instrument or bow that gives them the most joy and makes them never want to stop playing! When she isn't thinking about strings, Gina enjoys hiking with friends, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two (giant) cats Luna & Gracie.
Isaac has played violin since the age of 3, taking lessons at Buffalo Suzuki Strings. After continuing to play in college and graduating with a Music Education degree from Roberts Wesleyan College in 2016; he has worked for various shops in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maryland, and Vermont since. In between, he has completed the Violin Repair course at Minnesota State College, Red Wing. When not at the shop, he is often online talking and gaming with many friends around the world, joining community orchestras, and trying out new recipes.
Jonathan Echevarria received a graduate degree on full scholarship from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music studying with Medici Quartet violist, Ivo-Jan van Der Werff. During his studies, in addition to his performance and teaching work, was on the social media marketing team at Rice University's Center for Career Development, and went on to manage the social media and designed websites for classical music organizations. He has enjoyed a versatile performance career having appeared in concert halls, masterclasses, and festivals across the U.S. and internationally. He has recorded for both film and studio albums, and maintains an active teaching studio. In his spare time he enjoys collaging, film photography, plants, and interior design.
Juliana has danced with Pennsylvania Ballet, Maryland Ballet Theatre, Charlotte Ballet and Alvin Ailey. She is currently working on her undergraduate degree in history as a part-time honors student while working for MAVB full time, and teaching part-time at Philadelphia Dance Theatre. Juliana accomplishes the nearly impossible task of paying bills, keeping our due dates on time and our vendors and customers happy.
Roscoe is our current shop dog. He is quite friendly, and enjoys sniffing *all* the things, playing fetch, and reducing his toys into their constituent pieces (and even further).
Thomas received a Masters degree in cello from Indiana University in 2011 where he worked with Sharon Robinson and Janos Starker. He was a Shar Apprentice from 2007-2008. He began working in violin shops in high school in Charlotte, NC, doing set-up and sales. Thomas is an active teacher and passionate about providing beginners with the best possible equipment. He has been learning making and advanced restoration from Christopher Germain since 2014 and has attended the Oberlin Violin Restoration Workshops since 2015.
Thuy received her Bachelor's in Music Management at the Hartt School. She has been playing violin for over 24 years and has studied with Robert DePasquale, Anton Miller, and Emlyn Ngai. Thuy is an active teacher, freelancer, composer, and performer.