Minnesota State College Southeast celebrates ’50 Years of Lutherie’

For half a century, students have come to Red Wing to learn the art and craft of instrumental building and repair at Minnesota State College Southeast. On May 15 and 16, the college is celebrating those “50 Years of Lutherie” with a showcase of its guitar and violin programs.

The programs, which have helped hundreds of students from all 50 states and many countries across the world carve out careers in instrument building and repair, had their genesis in 1974 when the college was still known as the Red Wing Area Vocational-Technical Institute. The institute’s director, Ed Dunn, saw a need for a program that wasn’t offered anywhere else nearby.

The first iteration, combining violin and guitar repair, was so successful that the college added band instrument repair in 1976. Guitar and violin were separated into two programs in 1990, and in 2010, the guitar track added a second-year program emphasizing development and production.

Steve Rossow, who earned degrees in both the violin repair and guitar repair/building programs, is now lead instructor in Violin Repair and Making. He arrived at the college after an early musical education of “trying to get my hands on just about every instrument” — including saxophone, piano and drums — before settling on string instruments, specifically the finger-style acoustic guitar.

To indulge another passion, woodworking, he started making furniture, which “was fun while it lasted,” but he was really interested in learning how to make a guitar.

“I always knew this [Minnesota State College Southeast] program was here, so in 2000, I moved down here and learned the proper way,” Rossow explains. “I came specifically for the guitar program. After graduation I wondered, ‘What is this violin thing?’ A lot of people crossed over.” So he stayed on to learn violin making and repair.

“I got totally hooked on the repair and restoration side of the violin,” he says. “It’s a little different than the guitar, it has a mystique that I really liked. Violins can be taken completely apart and put back together, which is fascinating to me.”

After earning his degrees, Rossow landed a job with legendary St. Paul luthier John Waddle, who “threw me right into the deep end of restoration jobs,” he recalls. “These were not cheap instruments — apparently he trusted me to work right away on pretty deep, intricate things.”

In 2010, Rossow was asked to help start the second-year guitar program at Minnesota State College Southeast. He designed a curriculum incorporating a machine, run by a computer program, that carves blank pieces of wood into the parts needed to build a working instrument. The curriculum includes advanced guitar construction, including arched-top guitars and mandolins.

Eventually transitioning to become head of the violin program, Rossow returned to that mystique that fascinated him. It’s a fertile ground for instruction, with challenges for students that both stand alone and overlap with other disciplines.

“For somebody new starting out, the violin bridge, for example, can tell a lot about the skills a student maker possesses,” he says. “Being able to see a surface, see curves, see smoothness or lack of smoothness is the first part of the challenge.

“A big part of the quality of work is, can you see what you need to do, and can you do it?” Rossow says. “The amount of feedback I give students is pretty deep. I don’t let them get away with things being sloppy. It’s a fine line between sloppy work and good work. When I finally see them get there, it’s kind of a delight — I’m doing my job.”

Student Kiran Hafner from South Carolina has “gotten there” — she has completed her first violin (which will be played at the violin showcase) and is working on a viola, an instrument she’s played since middle school.

“It has been incredible to go through the entire process of building a violin in such a short amount of time,” she says. “It’s a lot to take in, but I have loved each and every challenge that it brings. It is so fulfilling to put months of work in and watch as it starts to look more and more like a violin with each step.”

Andrew Sheldon, a student from Saskatchewan who has built an acoustic guitar and electric guitar that both will be displayed at the showcase, appreciates the in-depth nature of the instruction.

“The length of the program was the biggest influence on my decision to come to the school,” he says. “I wanted to spend as much time as I could surrounded by this type of work. I’m glad I didn’t settle for a quick crash course on guitar repair because there’s so much to learn that can’t be taught in just a few weeks.”

Rossow said he believes Minnesota State College Southeast is the only higher-learning institution that offers a diploma for guitar work. He added, “I think what sets us aside from other schools and programs shorter than ours is there is a lot of repetition, doing one job over and over and over,” he said. “It sounds boring, but that’s what it takes for quality work, rather than taking a two-week course.”

He emphasized that “We do lots of one on one — it’s very thorough, the way the programs are set up. There’s nothing near what we’re doing here.”

The program’s breadth allows time for students and instructors to bond over their creations, and frustrations. “We are all so excited about our builds, and we’ve been helping each other out the entire year,” Sheldon says. “Building a guitar is very stressful — so much can go wrong at any time. Having people around to bounce ideas off of and answer questions has made everything less stressful and more enjoyable.”

Hafner, who spent a year at Florida State studying music therapy, came to Red Wing after deciding to change course and explore a different path to a music career. “I remembered learning about luthiers at some point during my musical journey, and the idea had always intrigued me,” she said. After researching other programs around the country, Minnesota State College Southeast stood out, partly because of its affordability, but also for the intensive nature of instruction. “I decided to go for it, and I am so glad that I chose to come here,” she said.

Hafner acknowledged that many students come to Minnesota State College Southeast to learn the art of repair, but she put in a plug for the instrument-making classes as well. “I would highly recommend it,” she said. “Knowing what goes into building instruments comes in handy when repairing them.”

The specialized nature of the programs has an added benefit, she said. “Because violin-making is such a niche skill, the program draws students from around the country. Everyone has such a different background in life, education and music, and it has honestly been life-changing to get to know them.”

After their time at Minnesota State College Southeast, Sheldon and Hafner both feel well-prepared for their musical futures.

“I get to leave the program with two guitars that I designed and built exactly the way I wanted,” Sheldon says. “It doesn’t get much better than that!”

Hafner is looking forward to her new job starting later this month at an instrument repair shop in South Carolina.

“I feel like I have found something I can spend the rest of my life doing,” she says.

The 50 Years of Lutherie activities on Thursday and Friday include campus and lab tours every half hour, an open acoustic jam session and a concert by professional guitarists Mike Cramer, Phil Heywood and Chris Silver. Student-made guitars and violins also will be on display; program alumni are invited to bring an instrument they have made for inclusion in the showcase by contacting Tim Reede (treede@southeastmn.edu).

Event info

What: 50 Years of Lutherie
When: Open House, 11 am.-1 p.m. May 15; Student Guitar Show, 1-4 p.m. May 15; Student Violin Showcase, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. May 16; informal reception following
More information: Free, but RSVP requested