Photo by Karin von Voigtlander

"Heartstrings tug violin maker home to Monroe" by Amy Wu

Kenneth Sullivan, violin doctor and maker, is surrounded by the two of the biggest loves of his life: wife Carolyn and the dozens of violins that frame the wall of their new Pittsford store.

"Bowed string instruments are very complicated," Sullivan said, a violin in each hand. "Every instrument is like the human voice; they all have their own little personality."

The Rochester native prefers to leave business-strategy-speak to Carolyn, a former Corning Inc. marketing head.

The couple moved Sullivan Violins from Phoenix to the old Pickle Factory on Grove Street.

Sullivan Violins specializes in the creation, repair and restoration of stringed instruments, including violas and cellos. While there are other stringed instrument specialists in Rochester, there aren't many violin makers and there aren't many stores with a violin-making specialty.

"He's definitely a plus to the community. ... We need an excellent, well-trained repairman and, of course, violin makers," said Lynn Blakeslee, violin professor at the Eastman School of Music.

While it is too early to tally profit, Sullivan is seeing students, teachers and musicians trickle in.

"Rochester is an excellent place (for this business) because it has good arts and culture for a city this size," said Carolyn Sullivan, 45.

Violins and woodwork are in Kenneth Sullivan's blood.

His great-grandfather was a furniture maker. His Irish-American father often played the fiddle for his family at their 19th Ward home.

Sullivan started violin lessons in third grade.

A woodworking teacher in high school sparked his interest in that craft.

He went to the State University College at Oswego to become a teacher and then in his junior year found a way to serve both his loves.

He said his parents were stunned when he told them he was headed to the Chicago School of Violin Making.

"I think they thought the future is much more secure as a teacher rather than with violin making," he said.

"Anything in the arts is difficult."

It is a boutique industry: According to the Violin Society of America, 474 of its 1,788 members globally say they are instrument makers/repairers or restorers.

People often go into it for the love, not the money; the salaries are similar to that of teachers.

"I always tell my students if you want to get rich, don't even think about it, because it will not happen," said Rebecca Elliott, co-director of the Chicago School of Violin Making, adding that few get a lucky break. The majority of graduates go on to work at a repair shop, but some strike out on their own.

Sullivan, 48, worked for nine years at Reuning & Son Violins, a Boston business that was then in Ithaca. Then in 1994, he opened Sullivan Violins in Ithaca. He subsequently took the business to Corning, where Carolyn was working.

The couple moved to Phoenix with her job at Corning, and he continued his business there.

And after more than 25 years in the industry, he says there is still a lot to learn. "There is the art of violin, the physics of the violin; it is the most complicated of the stringed instruments," he said.

Sullivan says that he enjoys the challenges of the job. One tough assignment was the restoration of a 250-year-old cello, a family heirloom, which took two years. Total amount he earned: $8,000.

"Just about everything is savable; it's a labor of love. I'm more interested in making the person happy," he said.

A new stringed instrument ranges between $10,000 and $13,000 (sic.) at Sullivan's.

Sullivan is a board member of The Violin Society of America, a member of The American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, and has 1,500 on his mailing list. He won the "tone" award from the violin society three different years for his violas.

When he arrived in Arizona he caught the attention of Steven Staryk, former concert master of the Royal Philharmonic of London and the Chicago Symphony.

"This community is going to miss him because there aren't enough people (violin makers) to cover the greater Phoenix area," said Staryk, who owns two of Sullivan's violins.

Back in Pittsford, the Sullivans continue to work on the 1,700-square-foot space.

The couple plan to target neighboring cities such as Syracuse and Buffalo, as well as Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and they also seek antique violins to restore and resell.

And while there is no guarantee that his violins will make it into the hands of famous musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Sullivan says he is content.

"(In Phoenix) I did well and the people liked me, but I have small children and I want them to grow up knowing their family," said Sullivan, who now plays the violin for fun. "The timing was right to come back."

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