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Hand-made by Thurmond Knight, a violinmaker
located in Glover, Vermont, the Floreen Thomas Violin
2006 is modeled after Fritz Kreisler's
1733 Guarneri del Gesu'. It is dedicated to Thurmond's
nanny, Floreen Thomas, who raised Thurmond for the first
5 years of his life in their Pahokee, Florida home located in
the Everglades at the southern end of Lake Okeechobee near Bacom
Point.
The violin's top is constructed from Sitka spruce harvested in northwest
Canada. The one-piece back, as well as the neck and ribs,
are of maple from Bosnia. Hand-carved boxwood/ebony fittings
were used in setting up the instrument.
Floreen was varnished over a period of
about 30 days with sun-thickened linseed oil as sealer, followed
by nine layers of tinted oil varnish, each layer of which
required at least 24 hours of sun exposure to dry. The
instrument was then put through a final drying in Vermont
sunshine for three weeks. Eight hours of hand polishing brought
the finish to its present luster.
A violin for a soloist, with more than ample power and
projection, Floreen was sold in 2007
to violinist Gerardine Tobin of Lancaster, New Hampshire, a
member of the Newport Area Community Orchestra, as well as several area chamber groups and
other community orchestras.
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Gerardine Tobin with Floreen Thomas Violin 2006 |
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