Profiles 

John Newton

John decided as a teenager that he wanted to learn to play the violin. He and his brother were accomplished model airplane builders, so it only seemed natural to go to the library, find a how-to book on violin-making, and build one together at their father¹s workbench.

He still has that first instrument. He soon found himself captivated by the process of making, as much as playing. Renowned viola-maker Otto Erdesz accepted him as an apprentice in the 1970s. He subsequently launched a professional career that now sees his instruments placed in The St. Lawrence Quartet, Canada’s premier string quartet; The Emperor Quartet of Kitchener-Waterloo; The Cassatt Quartet of New York State, plus the symphonic orchestras of Boston, Cleveland, Toronto and Edmonton.

Students at the Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, Indiana and Glenn Gould Professional School play his instruments. Some are further afield in Spain, Holland and France. John has made a speciality of the viola, with a particular emphasis on custom-made instruments, often with ergonomic
features such as the “cut away” shoulder.

John and his young family moved to a renovated schoolhouse near Keady in 1989, where he became part of a local community of violin-makers .
In The Georgian Bay Symphony, concertmaster Paul Earle plays a Newton, as does cellist Ani Eby. John himself and son Edward also play Newtons.

John’s instruments have been featured in two performances at the Leith Church, the most recent being the Sweetwater Music Weekend.
John also worked on a collaborative art project with Kiera McArthur, GBS cello player and designed the original ‘Dolphin’ viola.

John has been playing viola in the GBS for more than 10 years, and appreciates not just the music and the friendships, but also the insight it has given him into the demands placed on musicians and their instruments in orchestra settings. John joins other local musicians for chamber music, and performs at weddings in the summer as a member of The Amati Quartet.