Benjamin Spilman – Violin Maker

Benjamin Spilman’s professional history with string instruments dates back to 1974, when he began performing violin repairs at a shop in Oakland, CA. Five years later, he opened his own repair shop in Albany and then proceeded to start making instruments in 1983. Shortly after his initial foray into violin-making, Spilman met Thomas Oliver Croen, an award winning violin and viola maker (currently living in Eugene, OR) who became his mentor. This relationship led Spilman in 1985 to endeavor in full time violin making. Spilman’s interest in the violin started at the age of seven in Chicago, studying initially under the direction of his father and then with other local teachers. Eventually, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he studied with Vincent DiBianca, who was a performer with the San Francisco Symphony. Spilman has performed with numerous local orchestras over the years, including the Berkeley Opera, the Berkeley Symphony and Vallejo Symphony. Teaching has been another vital component of Spilman’s career, commencing in 1986 at Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, a preschool-8th grade bilingual immersion school in Berkeley, CA. Since that time, he has taught at Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Le Conte Schools, Berkeley High School, East Bay Suzuki Association, Young Person’s Chamber Orchestra, Berkeley Youth Orchestra and Oakland Youth Orchestra. He has also maintained a roster of private students.