Most pictures on this site were taken by the exceptional sports photographer Claus Andersen (CA) who travels the world over to photograph your sports idols at their best performance. I like to think he secretly enjoys the fact that lutes sit still in front of a camera!

My friend Shaun Ng (SN) from Sydney, Australia contributed the 6c and 10c pictures, as well as several others taken “at work”. To both my sincere thanks for your adding your specific talent and artistic skill to my creative work.

Over the last years I have had the support and encouragement of many people. My immediate family has had to deal directly with all the effects of my pursuing a radically different career path. I am forever grateful to them for giving me the space needed to pursue this crazy obsession called lute building. Who can do this without a partner to hold the fort while I am away or without kids ready and willing to be independent when necessary. (I also found out there is a cool factor to having a lute making mom when you are in high school: who would have thought!)

Thanks to Geoff Stubbs, the guy I hold entirely responsible for starting this all!

I am greatly indebted to my mentors in Vancouver, BC. Master Travis Carey has been a most direct, exacting and thorough teacher to me. Not only during my residencies out West, but also in between sessions and even now, when an issue or question needs professional insight and advice. I can only hope to touch at his superb standard at some time! I am extremely grateful to Grant Tomlinson and Ray Nurse. Ray’s enthusiasm and generosity is unequaled. Grant, with his patiently welcoming and humble demeanor, shared so much knowledge and skill in both his LSA courses and individual session. If only I could live in his vast library of lute related information for perhaps another year! All three made me feel I became part of a lute making family. We shared many fun times playing impromptu lute duets and trios, went on wood buying trips, drove to LSA Cleveland a few times and shared many a meal. I will never forget my varnish making day with Grant in Vancouver, nor playing the 6c lute made under Travis’ tutelage, at LSA Victoria in a lute duet. And who knows what the future will still bring.

The Ontario Arts Council was instrumental in funding my studies out West and at LSA Cleveland. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to this organization for helping me financially through the National and International Residency Granting program , Craft Project /Creation and Development Grants and an OAC/Chalmers Professional Development Grant.

Not least of all, I want to thank all of you great players and artists I have met at events, concerts, seminars, LSA conventions and who enriched more than just my lute building life: Lucas Harris, who also taught me valuable playing skills and continues to be an advisor on many lute related topics as well as tirelessly champions my work, Michael Schreiner, Daniel Swenberg, Grant Herreid, Paul O’dette, Andy Rutherford, Sylvain Bergeron, Xavier Diaz-Latorre, Jon Stuchberry, Shaun Ng, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (and TBSI), the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Chris Morongiello and many others at the Lute Society of America, to name but a very few. If your name is not here, please do not feel less appreciated.