Terry Borman is an American violinmaker who has been making violins in the United States for over 40 years. His training involved apprenticeships in various shops in France during the 1970s and 1980s. One of his apprenticeships was with the renowned Baroque instrument maker Stephen Murphy. He is also a graduate of the Prier Violin Making School of America[1] in Salt Lake City, Utah. After 19 years of living in Utah, he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas.[2]
He quickly established himself as a maker by selling violins to such notable performers as Jaime Laredo and Pinchas Zukerman who have, over time, acquired multiple Borman instruments.
A short list of some well-known musicians who play instruments by Borman:
Borman was among only a handful of makers invited to show their instruments at both the 2006 and 2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. These hands-on exhibitions highlighted the world's leading violin makers from Canada, France, Germany, and the United States. The exhibits provide rare opportunities to try violins by master makers of our time in one location.
He is very involved in scientific research to further the capabilities of the violin, specifically towards the needs of the violin in the 21st century. His research work is focused on the material properties of the wood used to create violins using densitometry and computer aided tomography (computed tomography). Additional research in the field of dendrochronology may yield exciting results as well. These topics of research may lead to a better understanding of the properties of historical instruments in order to more accurately reproduce their tonal qualities in modern instruments.