Lucas is a busy guy these days. He and his wife Geneviève Gilardeau have a baby girl, Daphnée. Besides his recent performances with The Toronto Consort, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Les Délises, Lucas is taking a masters degree in choral conducting at the University of Toronto. Click on the rose to see detail photos of his guitar.

December 2011. This is the 16th century lute by Marx Unverdorben that I examined at Harvard University. Click on the photo or visit my Projects page to read my report.

 

October 2011. I have finished my third Kaiser theorbo in the last twelve months. This one has gone to the early music program at Grand Valley State University.

 

September 2011. Emily Shaw is a guitar student at the University of Western Ontario and in her spare time a guitar builder. This summer she decided to attend the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute but needed to borrow a baroque guitar. Inspired by the course she stopped by to discuss building a Strad model. A few weeks ago she finished the guitar and sent me these photos.

The cool thing is, Emily is a second generation guitar builder. Her father, Mike, took guitar building lessons from me twenty years ago.

 

September 2011. I have created a blog where I hope to offer my readers a closer look at the construction of my instruments, an explanation of the whys and wherefores and an advance view of my newest projects along with events that interest me.

http://www.schreinerlutesandguitars.blogspot.com/

 

Click here to see detail photos of this lute.

August 2011. I have finished an Unverdorben 10 course for Thomas Tallant based on the instrument at Harvard University that I have been researching over the last few years. Thomas is a co-founder of the Knoxville Early Music Project that performs frequently in the South-East United States. http://www.kempmusic.org/

 

April 2011. I was delighted that Paula Chateauneuf could spend several days with Sue and I when she came to pick up her Tecchler archlute. Paula has lived in London since 1982 when she received a Fulbright scholarship to study with Nigel North at the Guildhall. She has gone on to establish an exciting career as a continuo player, university lecturer and ensemble director. On a return visit to the United States Paula borrowed an archlute that turned out to be one of my Tecchler models. Paula recognized that this was the lute that she needed for a Corelli recording project and ordered one. I'm thrilled to do my part in projects like hers.

More information about Paula Chateauneuf can be found at the website of the ensemble that she founded to explore the 17th century Italian tradition of improvisation, The Division Lobby. http://www.thedivisionlobby.co.uk/ . You can see detail photos of Paula's new lute on my archlute page. Click here

 

March 2011. Charles Weaver was in Toronto last week to pick up his new Kaiser theorbo.

Charlie studied lute and guitar at the Peabody Institute but he is also a liturgical baritone and organist. He appears regularly with Artek, Piffaro and Mercury Baroque. Charlie was a guest theorboist with Julliard's inaugural production of Poppea. In June I look forward to seeing Charlie with Quick Silver in an 11pm show at the Boston Early Music Festival. This time slot has featured many spirited musicians -- the shows have been dynamite. The fretted string length of Charlie's Kaiser is 90 cm with diapasons at 173.

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The following is a list of my recent museum visits with the principal instruments studied. These visits provide the information and encourage the insight and enthusiasm that give shape to my project ideas.

November-December 2010. German National Museum, Nuremberg. Theorbo by M. Alban, MIR 908 and guitar by J. A. Staufer. Musée de la musique, Paris. Theorbo by M.Tieffenbrucker, E. 980.2.321

July 2010. Harvard University Collection of Musical Instruments, Cambridge. Theorbo by Thomas Epp, HUCP 3266(continuation of my study began in 2008). Lute by Marx Unverdorben, HUCP 3278.

June 2008. Harvard University Collection of Musical Instruments, Cambridge. German theorbo.

March 2008. Royal College of Music, London. Guitar by Tesler. Musée de la musique, Paris. Lutes by Venere or attributed to Venere and theorbo by Aman.

March 2007. Musée de la musique, Paris. Lute by Maler and a theorbo by Sellas. Guitar by Voboam. Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels. Theorbo by Railich and lute by Jauck.

February 2006. Royal College of Music, London. Guitars by Voboam and Dias. Fenton House, London. Lutes by Döring and Unverdorben/Buchstetter.