About
Robert Ames was associated with the atelier of William Salchow, in New York City rising to the position of shop foreman. While with Mr. Salchow, he produced approximately 200 bows. He also received thorough training in the repair and restoration of fine bows, as he studied the finest examples of French, English, and German bowmakers. He left his position as shop foreman to establish his own business in 1978.
Mr. Ames is the sole proprietor of Robert Ames, Fine Violins and Bows, LLC, located in Fort Lee, NJ, just across from Manhattan. He has won honors at the International Violin and Bow Competition in Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, in 1980, and at Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1982. He continues to be active in bowmaking, fine repair and restoration, and sales of rare bows and instruments. Whether it is the sale of a Stradivari or Tourte, of matching a student on a budget with the best economic and musical value, Mr. Ames is devotedly passionate.
He enjoys membership in the three top international organizations in the field of violin and bow making; The American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers, and the Violin Society of America.
THE BOWS WE OFFER
Our shop offers one of the largest collections of violin, viola and cello bows anywhere. In addition to rare and authentic examples of the art of bow-making spanning over two centuries, we are sensitive to the needs of the beginner and the rising student string player of any age.
To satisfy the need to serve clients of all levels of ability and budgets, we have created a line of bows which merge the latest technological advances with classic traditions of what string players seek for optimal playability.
The Team
Gabriel Schaff comes from a strong musical background. His mother was the Philadelphia composer, musicologist, and flutist, Claire Polin, and one of his more colorful musical ancestors was the pre-eminent nineteenth century pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein (pupil of Liszt and teacher of Tchaikovsky). Mr. Schaff attended Philadelphia's New School of Music at the age of 16, where he coached with the Curtis String Quartet and later he won a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Erick Friedman, for whom he later served as his teaching assistant, and subsequently collaborated with Friedman for eleven years as a chamber musician at the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival in Maryland.
Mr. Schaff is a free-lance violinist, performing as a tenured member with several professional orchestras in the New York City region, in addition to frequent chamber and recital collaborations. Recent live performances with pianists Kathleen Riley, Richard Alston and Thomas Carlo Bo, have explored unjustly neglected works of the grand Romantic tradition of the 19th century.
Further from home, Mr. Schaff has performed throughout most of Europe and the Middle East, and has been broadcast on National Public Radio and Television, New Jersey Network, the BBC, and many commercial radio and television stations. In addition to his private teaching studio, he continues a relationship with Rutgers University and SUNY Purchase as a guest performer and lecturer, most recently giving pre-concert lectures for Pinchas Zukerman and Gil Shaham. He is currently an adjunct faculty member in Classical Ensembles and Violin Studies at Essex County College.
His first full-length book, The Essential Guide to Bows of the Violin Family was published in the spring of 2009 by the Studley Press, and has received critical acclaim world-wide. Copies can be ordered from this website at a discount, and can always be signed! A historical biography of nineteenth century violin maker and expert Walter Colton, as well as an article and edition of Haydn's three original violin sonatas are in the process of being published.
A native of San Cristobal, Venezuela, Alejandra Quevedo won a full scholarship to pursue a degree in Chemistry in Valencia, Venezuela, at Universidad de Carabobo, one of the most prestigious universities of the country. Instead, choosing to remain with her family, she immigrated to the United States where she began violin studies, and cultivates a passionate interest in all aspects of musical performance.
At Robert Ames Fine Violins and Bows, she creates and manages inventory and communication systems while studying violin and bow repair.