Maker of Violins, Violas and Cellos
Thurmond Knight’s violin shop is in the center of the town of Barton, located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Here he repairs/restores instruments of the violin family. He also makes violins, violas and cellos, all by hand.
From 1992 until 2000, Thurmond was German Master Maker Karl Roy’s shop foreman and teaching assistant at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham campus. Thurmond opened the Vermont School of Violin Making in 1995 in his shop in Glover, Vermont where he taught over 50 students the art of handmaking violins. After he closed the school, he moved his violin shop to Barton, Vt.
A cellist, Thurmond studied with Virginia Bradley, former principal cellist of the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra. Later he worked with Linda Galvan, cellist with the ensemble Camerata New England. Thurmond’s final teacher was John Dunlop, principal cellist of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.
For ten years, Thurmond was a member of the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra located in Barre, Vermont. He performed with the Chandler String Quartet for almost 10 years, and then with Wynden Strings Trio, with harpist Jenny Mayor and flutist Sarah Elizabeth Kinsley. Former principal cellist of the Richie Community Orchestra on Florida’s west coast, and former principal cellist of Newport Area Community Orchestra, he presently plays as principal cellist in the Northeast Kingdom Community Orchestra. Thurmond also tours Vermont as a soloist accompanied by his wife, pianist Catherine McMaster.
Thurmond became interested in violin repair and violinmaking when his own cello suffered severe damage and was taken to a local luthier. Always interested in wood working, Thurmond asked where one might learn the trade and was directed to the violinmaking program at the University of New Hampshire. He began attending the sessions that same year and a whole new career was born!
