Hugh Withycombe 16" Viola Canberra 2017

This viola was made by Hugh Withycombe in 2017, in Canberra. Withycombe is an Australian maker who studied at the Newark School of Violin Making, graduating in 2001. Before establishing his own workshop in Canberra, he worked with Frederick Phelps and Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in London, and also taught at Juliet Barker's violin-making workshops between 1999 and 2002. Withycombe has also had a career in environmentalism, developing climate change policy with the Australian government, a path which has given him an acute view of the importance and benefit of sustainability in the violin making world. 

The viola is labelled "Withycombe & Van Zandt / Canberra Oberlin Seattle / 2017". The body measures 408mm along the back, 196mm across the upper bouts and 242mm across the lower bouts. It has a one-piece back of slab-cut maple with well-matched ribs and scroll, and the top is a broadly grained spruce. The viola is finished with an amber varnish and ebony fittings. 

It is best characterised as rich and resonant, with even the stronger colours in the lower register being accessible with little effort. The sound has a vibrant complexity to it and is projected very clearly, easily filling small rooms and larger halls alike, making this viola stand out particularly well as a soloistic instrument. It also responds well at a variety of contact points, allowing for a variety of expressive techniques to be used quickly and effectively. 

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