Hugh Withycombe 'Elston' Viola 16" Canberra Australia 2017

This viola was made by Hugh Withycombe in 2017, in Canberra. Hugh Withycombe trained at the Newark School of Violin Making, graduating in 2001, before working with Florian Leonhard Fine Violins and Frederick Phelps in London. He returned to Australia and established his workshop in Canberra, where he has spent more than two decades making instruments for musicians in Australia and the United States. Since 2015, Withycombe has been a faculty member at the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop. His work combines classical European violin-making traditions with a visual and material sensibility shaped by the Australian landscape. Withycombe makes violins, violas and cellos, with each instrument developed in response to the qualities of its materials. His extensive experience in restoration and repair informs his meticulous approach to setup and sound optimisation.

The viola is labelled "Hugh T. M. Withycombe / Made in Canberra 2017" and signed by the maker. The body measures 409mm along the back, 199mm across the upper bouts and 244mm across the lower bouts. It has a one-piece slab-cut back of sycamore, and the top is a broadly grained spruce. The viola is finished with ebony fittings and an amber-gold varnish. It possesses a textured quality to it, with a solid core of sound which carries a well-unified character across its whole range. Because of this, it feels very well-balanced across each string, and blends well with other instruments. It's sound by nature is warm and rounded, but it has plenty of edge to create sharper and more intense flavours.

Please contact us if you would like to book an appointment to try this beautiful Australian viola.