Lori is the owner of Austin Strings and Bastrop Sound Sanctuary; She started luthier training in 1996 and opened Austin Strings in 2001. She studied violin setup and repair at The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts under Hans Nebel and bow rehair, repair and bow-making at The University of New Hampshire under Lynn Hannings. She has over 420 in-class hours and over 19 years professional experience repairing and making both bows and violins. Teaching, repairing instruments, and making bows are her biggest passions and she feels very blessed to be a part of the Austin community.

Lori grew up with older brothers who all took music lessons. She began piano at 8 and then violin at 9. In high school she got the opportunity to play cello at a summer camp and decided to continue cello as well. She received full-tuition scholarships on cello which paid for her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Social Work, followed by a Masters of Science in Social Work. She has been playing cello professionally for over 35 years, with many ensembles including: Ballet West, New American Symphony, Utah Music Theater, Sundance Music Theater, Wasatch Chamber Players, Silverwood Trio, Serenade Strings, and continues presently with Soltice Strings.

​I’ve been playing music all my life; I’m so fortunate to have grown up in a musical family! My mom played cello professionally and taught out of our home while I was growing up and my dad had his own fan-powered pipe organ in the living room! I played piano for many years and started cello when I was about 10 years old. I now study bow-making and repair with Lynn Hannings every summer and currently have 305 in-class hours.

Studying bow-making and repair has been very eye-opening as to why so many musicians are uncomfortable and experiencing pain. Most musicians will blame themselves when it is their equipment that needs adjusting. If you are having any pain while playing, bring in your equipment and let us check it over for you! There are many things we can do to help you be comfortable so you can continue to play over the long-term!

I truly believe music is one of the most amazing things you can do for yourself. It challenges you, makes your mind sharp, and forces you to accept your many flaws and mistakes while still striving for something beautiful. It truly is special and personal! It’s important to get set up with someone who is very positive and knowledgeable about the instruments themselves and can talk you through practice routines and reasonable expectations you can have for yourself when learning a bowed string instrument. I’m so proud to be a part of my mother’s shop where we are friendly, welcoming and masterful. We have the absolute best customers in all of Austin; if you’re interested in learning one of these instruments, we should absolutely be your first stop!

Michelle Hedden is our part-time luthier and the final member of the team! Michelle has worked at a few local violin shops and finally found their home base here at Austin Strings. They’ve been working on bowed string instruments for almost 15 years here in Austin. They have studied both repair and violin varnishing with Paul Wiessmeyer and Olivier Perot at UNH Violin Craftsmanship Institute, with over 200 in-class hours. With their BFA in painting, their touchups and color work on instruments are excellent!