Joseph Lotito

West Dean College Diploma, Making Stringed Musical Instruments, 2010 - 2011

Prior to coming to the UK, I trained as a violinmaker at North Bennet Street School in Boston, Massachusetts, and then worked professionally for several years as a self-employed instrument maker and repairer. I was, however, keen to learn about the English tradition of making, West Dean is the only institution in the world which has a historicallysensitive approach to design and construction of the viola da gamba and other Baroque stringed instruments. In order to further my knowledge to meet players’ needs for a more historically informed instrument, I joined the course to combine new-found knowledge with my previous experience and skills in order to be at the forefront of this tradition. During my time on the course, I have benefited from historical and practical lectures from experts in the craft, visits to important European collections to see and examine original instruments in the presence of established experts in the field and hands-on experience in building these instruments. I havealso enjoyed various research projects and personal interaction with professional musicians. All of these aspects of the programme have formed an excellent foundation for a career in this trade.