TESTIMONIALS

“Kathy is awesome. She is worth the trip to Burlington from my home in Derby. She helps me with all my needs and those of my students.”

“Excellent consultations with Kathy. Honest evaluation of what was wrong with the instrument, what could be done, and how successful the repair(s) might be. I have full confidence in VV...always have, always will.”

“Kathy was patient, took her time with me, and answered all my questions. I did not feel overwhelmed with too many choices: she gave me options and let me make my own decision. I always receive good customer service whenever I visit the store.”

“Purchase of viola originally and a bow most recently were handled by phone and email with Kathy Reilly who is certainly one of the most knowledgeable persons I have dealt with years of interacting with retail music”

“Kathy is the best—worked with me for over a month before I bought a bass. And applying rental credit was awesome, as well as offering 0% financing. Simply the best and I will spread the word to all I know!”

“It was a pleasant experience working with Kathy to purchase my new violin. I\’m very pleased I found Vermont Violins.”

“Kathy is the Violin Whisperer. So sensitive and understanding. She understood exactly what I was looking for. Prepared at visit. Coordinated with my violin teacher. I’m very grateful for her help.”

“We really liked the no-pressure experience. Our bow journey took over 24 months, but we’re quite satisfied with the result.”

“The violas arrived safely today and WOW!!!! The sound is INCREDIBLE! Even on the 12 inch, the sound is amazing. My daughter has been asking to play viola in orchestra, but I didn’t have enough, and well, you know how it goes, the teacher’s kid gets last chance so no one can say that I am treating them better. So I gave her the 12 inch, she brought it home, and couldn’t stop practicing. My husband (who teaches classical guitar) came down and literally his mouth was hanging open. He said “that’s a tiny viola but WOW does it have good sound!”

And now my daughter wants to do viola in her May competition instead of violin—your instrument may have took her all the way over to viola-land.

I wish you could have seen the look on the face of Keegan, who has been playing a very sad viola shaped object. He opened the case, plucked the string, and his eyes opened really wide, and he looked and me and went “whoa” and pulled it out of the case, and then tuned it, and looks at me in wonder and says, “it sounds so good, and it stays in tune.” All this before he put bow to string! I can’t wait to hear what he thought after he practiced tonight!

It took all my willpower to give the 14 inch to Brielle to take home instead of keeping it for myself, it’s way better than my teaching viola. I’ll be saving up to buy one for me now.

Thank you so SO much for making this happen. We so appreciate it, you made 3 kids very happy this year, and who knows how many kids happy for many, many years to come. I am thrilled to have discovered your violas as I know have a good sound for small violists...hopefully I’ll be sending more sales your way for the kids who are only viola and need a good instrument. ”

“I want to send a shout-out to vermontviolins.com. I tried their Richelieu model fractional violas at the AVS Festival in LA this June and was so impressed! I have been recommending their instruments to my students (they ship for free—I live in the Washington DC area). They have violas as small as 11” (roughly equivalent to a 1/4 size violin), and they sound GREAT. Not only do they have great instruments but they also have great customer service. They called me up today just to inform me what is going on with one of my students’ instruments. I’m so impressed!
They have been a total game changer for me. I’m now working on teaching only viola to my kids who are 1/4 size and above. I’ve convinced half my violin students to switch! If you teach viola to children, I highly recommend giving them a call.”

“If your research has brought this viola into the world, i say carry on. Great viola tone from the bottom to the top, plays as you ask it to. The 5th grader using this small instrument has heard the low C string vibrate for the first time. She is a youngster of talent with expectation of tone, articulation and intonation. I believe we can now get to the focus of mechanics with the reward of hearing the result not when you ‘“grow up” but as you master a technique.”

“I am a private violin and viola instructor in Silver Spring, Maryland, close to Washington DC, and I’m currently in the process of earning a doctoral degree in Viola Performance at the University of Maryland. I discovered Vermont Violins’ Richelieu model violas at the American Viola Society Festival this last June in Los Angeles. As a violist, I was floored by the great sound coming out of these tiny instruments. I knew what this meant for young children learning the viola! At the time, I had only two viola students and about twenty violin students. I have since been able to switch fourteen of my students to viola. Although not all of them have opted for the Richelieu models, the ones who have are deeply satisfied and are enjoying the rich tone as they progress in their playing. I, too, am more satisfied in my teaching, finding more fulfillment as I teach my own instrument.

Many violists teach mostly violin students because we are under the impression that small violas sound terrible. I am glad that Vermont Violins is leading the charge in reversing this belief. Playing the viola is less competitive than playing the violin, and young children who play the viola can have all the joys of music-making along with a greater chance for musical opportunities. The Richelieu model violas provide a beautiful tool to make this possible.”

“You folks did a great job with the rental process. I\’m “learning the violin” thru Utube videos to play “kids songs” for a grandkids upcoming birthday. Learning to read violin music and looking at online lessons are most likely in the near future. So glad I decided to rent from you folks!”

“We’ve been part of the instrument rental program with Vermont Violins for more than 8 years, and we’ve been so pleased with the instruments, the customer service, and the value. Our daughter rented her first viola from Vermont Violins at age 7. As she grew, the staff at Vermont Violins helped ensure she had the right instrument for her size and playing level. We live in Savannah, Georgia, but the distance was not an obstacle. We even had to utilize the insurance program once (whoops!) and the experience was hassle-free. One of the best aspects of the program is that you build equity with each rental payment. Now that we are ready to purchase an instrument for our daughter, we have substantial equity to apply toward a purchase. I have nothing but good things to say about the people and the products at Vermont Violins and I highly recommend their rental program.”

“A friend recommended your instrument rental program to us, and even though we are all the way in Savannah, Georgia her recommendation was so strong we gave it a try. And we’re glad we did. Shipping is easy, the viola is wonderful, and employees have always been quick to answer any questions I have. I am looking forward to being a long-time customer!”

“I went here as a complete beginner to rent my first violin and get started. I’ve also been back on two occasions for help tuning and to buy some necessary accessories. Every time I’ve been in the staff has been super helpful and very nice.”

“It has been six months already with the V Richelieu violin and I enjoy it more and more every day. The sound that keeps developing is amazing. It has helped me a lot to advance and improve my skills. It is a wonderful instrument. Congratulations to all of you at Vermont Violins.”

“They are awesome! Been renting my daughter violin from there for over 2 years and whenever we need to upgrade or need supplies they are fantastic! We don’t live close so they will ship right to us. The violins and craftsmanship are extraordinary!”

“This was not only my very first time learning to play the violin, but my first time in the store. My experience was not only pleasant but the salesman made it easy to understand what I was getting into.”

“Thanks again to all of you for making replacing my wreck of a violin such a happy experience. It was a nice balance to the sickening feeling I had when I tugged my stuck violin out of the case and heard a sound crack as part moved and part stayed behind. Come to think of it, I think Kathy told me to return for the remains, or did she say it could be used for teaching luthiers or for parts. Now that’s a nice thought—the instrument I loved for a half century lives again. It was made by a violist for the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra who lived in Rutland. Or maybe it was his son. The most interesting fact to me was that he demurred on our invitation to play in our string quartet because he never wanted to hear another quartet after his long career. Maybe he was a Brubeck fan. ”

“The service was bow rehair. Since Vt Violins has opened a WLeb location, my bows have been serviced there. The hair has been consistently high quality with lots of tooth. Additionally, the rehairing itself has always been excellent. I have had one or two “stray” hairs in all of this time. I have broken few hairs between servicing. I also have my instrument adjusted at WLeb. That has been done excellently as well.
Thank you for your good and trusted service.”

“My Kittel cello bow was sent to you for rehairing . The work was excellent. Thank you!”

“I have always had top notch service for my violin and bows at Vermont Violins. I can count on the staff to provide excellent work. Ed loves my violin as much as I do and takes care of it as if it were his own. That’s important to me. I really enjoy the friendly atmosphere at the West Lebanon shop and I’m thankful for the excellent service you provide.”

“[the workshop in West Lebanon] did a great job on the restoration, and I particularly appreciate his efforts to meet a desired timeline .”

“Just wanted to drop you a line and thank you and your Luthier Claire for helping me with my cello.

It really made a difference more than I ever dared to hope for when I drove to West Lebanon. It was much easier to project and I was able to enjoy the sound of my cello.

Performance went well and we were sold out and people came in spite of the snow storm.

On Friday we added Acoustic podium that added to the benefits of the work you two did on Wednesday.”

“You did a wonderful job. [My violin] sounds better than it did before. Rachel and Kathy did an amazing job of making the repair happen quickly and providing a loaner. Rachel was outstanding in customer service in every way.”

“The work was completed earlier than originally quoted which was great!”

“Ed did a great job on the restoration, and I particularly appreciate his efforts to meet a desired timeline.”

“I just want to thank you SO much for helping me with all my cello questions. The cello sounds BEAUTIFUL and I’m so grateful and thankful for the luthier who repaired it. Thanks again for everything and happy new year!”

“I have always been pleased with the time Ed Port is willing to spend with me, educating me and explaining aspects of the physical violin. The more I know, the more I can pass on to my students. I always recommend VT Violins to my students for Sales, rentals and repair, reminding them that in spite of the internet it is always good to support Local. I have sometimes received referrals from you, too, for students living in Thetford-Lyme and northward. ”

“Vermont Violins is a special place. I would trust my cello to no other shop. It\’s the people there that make the difference. They treat each instrument (as well as their owners) with such care, as if they belonged to them. And LOVE the parking at the new place!”

“I have been going to Vermont Violins for several years now. I bought a lovely restored fiddle from them as well as several bows. I have had repair work on a bow done and I am currently renting a Cello from them as well... They really focus on the sale of string instruments and the things you need to go with those instruments. They have an onsite luthier as well as an assortment of cases, fiddles, cellos, bows, chin rests, rosins etc etc. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly and even when I was a dead on beginner I never felt uncomfortable. The in house financing of large purchases is fantastic (why use my money when I can use theirs at no interest) and being able to use most of the rental fees toward the purchase of an instrument is great. When I have needed something they did not have in stock they brought it down from the larger stores quickly.... I am very impressed and will continue to do business with them and would highly recommend them to others.”

“What a lovely place!
This is an awesome place for anyone who plays a violin, viola or cello. They are friendly, welcoming and knowlegeable. You will get a warm welcome and the instruments are high quality and beautiful. They will do all they can to assist you even if they don’t have what you are looking for.
Worth the trip!”

“Knowledgeable and friendly staff no matter your age or level of playing; they are a wonderful local resource with uncommon expertise.”

“I brought my viola in to Vermont Violins in Burlington (conveniently located on Church St) because I had a nonworking fine tuner and needed a new tailpiece. While I was there, I talked with Kathy about what we could do to help improve the sound of my inexpensive student instrument, and she helped me decide on a new set of strings and a new bow. The strings and tailpiece were changed in a few hours while I ran other errands, and Kathy brought out a few bow options that were all still in my budget and let me try playing them until I found the one that called to me. The new strings and bow made a world of difference, and my viola now sounds significantly better than it used to! Kathy and Johanna were extremely knowledgeable and were able to help me with exactly what I needed, and I am very pleased with my new sound. I will absolutely be taking my viola to Vermont Violins in the future for all its services!”

“I had an excellent experience in every way with Vermont Violins in West Lebanon. Friendly, knowledgeable, going the extra mile to help me understand the pieces I brought in, and inspiring me to take up the cello at age 62!!!!”

“I just loved my experience at Vermont Violins! Everyone was so polite and helpful. I even got the opportunity to see and talk with the workers in the back rooms. I had many of my questions answered. The salesman was very joyous and funny in addition to being helpful.”

“Been involved with Vermont Violins as a teacher and administer of a program and a violinist since before Vermont Violins came to Lebanon. Their growth was only as quick as the expertise was available and offerings have been quality all through their growth period.

My comfort with Luthiers, the “in house instruments”, Rental Program, Bow work and their dealings with my clientele has made my work and care for my instruments so uncomplicated. Allows me to do my best work. Thank you all.”

“Your shop provides a wonderful service to this area and we are so lucky that you’re here!”

“Always appreciative of the service you provide the string community in VT.”

“Bravo to you for the non-ebony fingerboards!
Thank You for promoting a good-working, sustainable wood for acoustic instruments. Acoustic music is a wonderful thing, a talent to be developed, and a balm for the soul, but we’ve got to be cognisant of where the instrument woods are coming from, the availability, and alternatives if a material becomes scarce or problematic to obtain. Change is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it can be an improvement.

Thank You again for having the courage and care of our environment to look for an alternative and your promotional efforts of this wood.”

“Everyone has been absolutely fantastic! I took the beginner harp class with Sara, which was amazing, and ended up preordering a special order harp and purchasing a Harpsicle! The enthusiasm that both Sara and Oren have for the harp and making sure you have the right harp for you is phenomenal! Their passion for the harp is contagious. They delight in aiding you on your “harp adventure,” sharing in your joy and excitement. This has been one of the most positive and fulfilling purchases I’ve ever made! I would highly recommend the entire staff of Vermont Violins to anyone interested in pursuing any stringed instrument! Thank you from th bottom of my heart!”

“Good morning! Much thanks to Oren for the long anticipated delivery of an amazing harp!! It arrived on the 5th and after eagerly awaiting the 24 hours, I was able to hear it on the 6th, which happened to be my birthday! I have so much to learn and I am excited to get started. Thanks again for making a musical dream of mine come true.”