The Associates

R. Kim Tipper

Kim Tipper is a fine and dedicated luthier, a supporter of the arts in our community and an enthusiastic amateur musician. With over thirty years experience in the craft, he strives to offer the best attention and care to instruments and their owners with a view to history and to music. Kim was born in Ottawa, Ontario and finished his education in Vancouver before living for twenty years in Saskatchewan where all of his children were born. In Saskatoon he took up instrument making and opened his first violin shop, before re-locating to Victoria in 1995. Kim also indulges his interests in art, history, philosophy, good food, fine coffee and the Italian language.

Reid Hudson

Reid is known around the world as a fine bow maker and restorer. Reid was born in Toronto where he studied double bass with Tom Monahan before moving to Ottawa where he apprenticed with Joseph Kun, a Czech violin and bow maker and shoulder rest inventor. In 1980 Reid and his young family moved to Vancouver Island where he now lives in retirement.
See www.reidhudson.com.

Galen Hartley

Galen Hartley is a Victoria-born luthier and is well known as a guitarist and song-writer. His interest in violin making began as an employee at Larsen Music when Kim helped set up their repair shop in 2006. Galen later came to work at Tipper Violins, and then in 2011 moved to Montreal to continue his work as a luthier in the shops of Tom Wilder and Olivier Perot. Galen continued his education with Tony Echavidre, Isabelle Wilbaux, Wolfram Neureither and Nicolas Gilles before establishing himself in Bordeaux, France where he continues to focus on the making of new violins.
See hartleyviolins.com.

Laura Wallace

Laura Wallace grew up in her father’s furniture making workshop on the Sunshine Coast of BC. As a child she played violin and later the cello before working with Kim at Tipper Violins 2006–2012. Here she studied all aspects of shop work including repairs, setup, making, and bow rehairing with an appreciation of high standards. As a beginning violin maker she collaborated with Galen Hartley. In 2012 Laura moved to Powell River, BC where she has established her own shop and boasts a long waiting list for the fine instruments she makes of aged wood, both local and imported. Laura is a member of the Violin Society of America and is in-house luthier for PRISMA (prismafestival.com.)
See wallaceviolins.ca.

Gregory Walke and Sibylle Ruppert

Canadian luthier Gregory Walke and his German wife and collaborator Sibylle Ruppert both studied at the Welsh School of Violin Making in the early 1980’s before working for a few years in Germany. They have been established in Paisley Ontario since 1988 where they make new instruments and do fine restorations. See gregwalke.com and acellorondo.ca.

Travis Short

Travis Short is an excellent bass player, teacher and former head luthier at Larsen Music where he looked after instruments of all levels. He is now established independently in Victoria as a repairer of violin family instruments and also basses. You can find out more about on Travis on his web page: www.swinglowstrings.ca.