Prier & Sons has a long history in Utah, could you tell us about this background?
Peter Prier & Sons Violins was established 60 years ago by luthier, Peter Prier. Educated at the State Violin Making School in Mittenwald Germany, Peter immigrated to Salt Lake City at the age of 19 to work at Pearce Music Company, which he eventually bought. Peter soon gained a reputation for making exceptional instruments. His instruments were purchased by many fine players including Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Joseph Silverstein and Daniel Heifetz. Peter was passionate about sharing his knowledge with others and established the Violin Making School of America in 1972. Graduates of the school have gone on to win international prizes for their instruments as well as establishing reputations for their restorations and repairs. Our music community is fortunate to have a number of these fine luthiers working throughout Utah.
What services does your businessss provide, and are there areas that you specialize in?
Our luthiers and archetiers are the heart of our shop. They provide beautiful restorations as well as high quality repairs and rehairs. Their professional setups on every instrument sold at the shop ensures that every instrument plays at its best.
We sell a range of quality instruments, from well built workshop instruments to instruments made by some of the world’s finest luthiers, past and present. We have a vast collection of bows, from student to professional quality from around the world. As the home of JonPaul bows we have a number of high quality carbon composite and pernambuco bows made right at the shop.
Would you like to introduce the representatives from your shop that we might meet at Viola Day?
Everyone at Prier’s wants to come to Viola Day. We have established that alto clef shaped cookies just taste better. Our owners, Jon Hatch and Chris Johnson as well as our luthiers Aaron Goll and Andrew Stolfa and our shop manager, Mary Otterstrom all look forward to attending. Absent will be Paul Prier who will sadly be out of the country.
What do you look for in a viola, and how do you approach the instrument differently than violins or cellos?
Violas come in many sizes and shapes. Cellos and violins are much more standard. Viola makers have taken many approaches to trying to get the best sound quality for the middle range while also having an instrument that is not too large for the player. We approach violas and their players individually. Our job is to try to help the player get the best sound the instrument will make as easily as possible. For this reason we carry a range of violas from 12 – 17 inches. Our luthiers work one on one with violists to try to make sure that we set up their instruments to work well for them.
Could you tell us a little bit about the instruments you will have at Viola Day?
The instruments we will bring will include a 1971 Peter Prier 16.5 inch viola and a 16 ⅜ inch viola made by American luthier Geoffrey Ovington (1946-2017).
Ovington studied violin making with James Coggin in Manhattan before opening his own studio in upstate New York. Ovington’s instruments have won numerous awards, including medals at the Violin Society of America International Competitions. Many are played by professionals in prestigious European and American orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, who commissioned Ovington to make three violas in 1991.
