V. Richelieu 15 - 16" Viola
V. Richelieu 15 - 16" Viola
V. Richelieu viola are 100% made in Vermont. Hand-split spruce tonewood is imported from Italy and Switzerland; maple comes to us from Bosnia. Together, these woods form a viola of unique distinction offering fine instrument quality at very affordable prices.
Our child-sized violas are true violas: modeled after a 16” model, scaled down for children. Finally, a fractional viola that actually sounds like a viola! Most small violas are modeled after violins, and the resulting instruments never perform…our V. Richelieu violas sing with the resonance a viola is meant to have: from the soaring highs of the A string to the haunting lows of the C.
Each instrument is hand-graduated by our senior luthiers. The oil-based varnish is hand painted by an accomplished oil portrait artist. Each instrument is unique, but each offers a tonal quality perfect for the advancing student, conservatory student or professional player.
Many shops make instruments, most are not made 100% by the shops. Our V. Richelieu instrument is 100% made by Vermont Violins. We start from raw tonewood, carefully selected from our favorite European foresters who are precise in how they harvest, store and dry their wood. Our luthiers work as a team to construct each instrument according to time-tested forms, adjusted to reflect our own tonal preferences.
No two instruments are alike. Each is individually carved to bring out the best tone. Our oil-based varnish, made in house to our own proprietary formula, is a beautiful Italianate amber. An professional artist joined our team as the varnisher applying her knowledge of pigmentation and application to make our V. Richelieu instruments looking their best.
The V. Richelieu violins are played by a wide range of players. The affordable price broadens the spectrum of players, so anyone who appreciates fine craft as only Vermonters can offer and wants an instrument that sings like a professional instrument will find a lifetime partner in their V. Richelieu instruments. These instruments are sufficiently refined to support a conservatory player, or a professional performance artist, but the prices make these accessible to anyone who loves violins and wants only the best!
Scaled violas are historically problematic and viola teachers the world over are frustrated by these instruments. Ours is a “game changer”— a true viola, scaled down from a 16” model to child-size. They ring and they have the correct viola stops. And, the V. Richelieu is available as small as 11”, so a prodigious young player can find an instrument to propel him or her to advanced performance.
