Raymond Schryer (Canada) – Chairman of the Jury / 2016

Raymond Schryer, born 1961 in Sault Ste Marie ON Canada, has been passionate about violins for over 35 years. Raymond studied violin performance at the University of Western Ontario and now enjoys arranging music and performing.

At the age of fourteen, Raymond studied violin making with his uncle Fernand Schryer in Quebec. At 21 Raymond earned a formal 3 year apprenticeship from the violin shop of Geo. Heinl & Co. in Toronto. The decades from 1992 – 2012 are filled with research, innovation and rewards. During his competition years Raymond was awarded 10 medals consistently improved his standing in international violin making competitions, winning 2 gold medals, 7 silver medals and 1 bronze. One of his proudest moments was the Gold Medal win for Cello in October 2003 at the Triennale Internazionale in Cremona Italy, where the cello resides in a permanent exhibition.

Raymond has been an active member and on the boards of: the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and the Violin Society of America. He has served on the jury panel for several international violin making competitions. Raymond has enjoyed the opportunity to teach at violin making schools, conferences and workshops worldwide.
At the Oberlin Workshop Raymond and his colleagues collaborate and apply new technologies to the art of violin making. Publishing articles and research projects have benefited his career by sharing with other makers worldwide. Raymond Schryer is a recognized leader and innovator in his field.

[2014]