John Montgomery

John Montgomery has worked as an instrument maker and restorer for more than 40 years. John received a Thomas Watson Fellowship to study in France in 1977 prior to attending the Violinmaking School of America in Salt Lake City, Utah and went on to apprentice with William Monical in New York City. In 1983 he founded John Montgomery, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Respected for his restoration of fine instruments, Montgomery is a consultant and advisor to the collections of classical stringed instruments at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. John has served as a judge for violinmaking competitions, as faculty in workshops and is a frequent lecturer and panelist. He is co-author of the book The American Violin. Montgomery’s instruments after the works of Goffriller, Stradivari, Seraphin, Amati and Guarneri are played in major symphonies across the United States. John is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and the Violin Society of America and has served on the boards of both organizations.