Mark Schnurr

Mark Schnurr was born in 1978 in Guelph, Canada, where he began art and music studies at a young age. Building his first violins as a self-taught maker, he later went on to study with violin maker, John Newton. It was under John’s tutelage that Mark honed his skills and developed his eye for classic Italian lines, focusing on fine woodwork and beautifully patinated varnish. Informed by the great Cremonese masters and modern research – he builds instruments that have a full tonal pallet, a clear and balanced voice, with woolly depth and scintillating highs, and that project equally to some of the finest instruments available. Mark is also interested in the advancement and understanding of stringed instruments, through the study of acoustics and its applications to constructive forms. His violins, violas, and cellos are played by professionals, students, and amateurs throughout North America and Europe. He has attended both the Oberlin acoustics and the prestigious Oberlin making workshops, and has collaborated with Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in London. In 2018, he was awarded a silver medal for workmanship for his violin at the Violin Society of America’s 23rd international competition.