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About Us
Over a decade ago, Kennedy Violins began offering professional and student violins, violas, and cellos with an emphasis on providing stellar customer service. With our large stock of instruments and ability to purchase directly from select instrument makers, we specialize in providing you with the highest quality instruments and accessories at unbeatable low prices. Our most popular student instruments, made exclusively for Kennedy Violins, are constructed to our professional standards of excellence and made with the highest build-quality and materials. These one-of-a-kind models are unavailable through anyone else and built to our exact specifications.
Each instrument we offer represents what we believe to be the best available throughout the nation at its respective price point. There is no instrument in our product line that we wouldn't be proud to recommend to our own students. Additionally, unlike other instrument suppliers, we specialize exclusively in stringed instruments, therefore exceeding every other internet retailer in our knowledge and expertise.
Kennedy Violins is owned and operated by musicians who currently perform and/or teach. We know how frustrating it can be to receive an instrument so poorly made and setup that it is not even playable. Understanding this, we ensure that every instrument is setup and inspected by our professional luthiers to the highest standards of excellence. When you receive your instrument, it is ready for peak performance and backed up with our industry-leading, 45-day money-back guarantee. We are so confident in our product that we even support our instruments with a lifetime warranty.
Customer service is our priority. If you are OUR customer, you will be a satisfied one!
As a Kennedy Violins customer you are in excellent hands. Below are leading representatives of our team at Kennedy Violins who will not only guide you through the purchase of an instrument that is perfect for you, but will make sure you have an excellent customer experience leaving you completely satisfied. As we are all string players, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We hope to hear from you soon!
Each instrument we offer represents what we believe to be the best available throughout the nation at its respective price point. There is no instrument in our product line that we wouldn't be proud to recommend to our own students. Additionally, unlike other instrument suppliers, we specialize exclusively in stringed instruments, therefore exceeding every other internet retailer in our knowledge and expertise.
Kennedy Violins is owned and operated by musicians who currently perform and/or teach. We know how frustrating it can be to receive an instrument so poorly made and setup that it is not even playable. Understanding this, we ensure that every instrument is setup and inspected by our professional luthiers to the highest standards of excellence. When you receive your instrument, it is ready for peak performance and backed up with our industry-leading, 45-day money-back guarantee. We are so confident in our product that we even support our instruments with a lifetime warranty.
Customer service is our priority. If you are OUR customer, you will be a satisfied one!
As a Kennedy Violins customer you are in excellent hands. Below are leading representatives of our team at Kennedy Violins who will not only guide you through the purchase of an instrument that is perfect for you, but will make sure you have an excellent customer experience leaving you completely satisfied. As we are all string players, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We hope to hear from you soon!
Joel Kennedy, President (Expertise in Viola Performance)
Marisa Kobilan, Head Luthier (Expertise in Fidding)
Heather Case, Customer Relations Supervisor (Expertise in Violin Performance)
Adam Easley, Lead Web Developer, Marketing Analyst. (Expertise in Jazz)
Rachel Davis, Marketing & Community Relations Representative (Expertise in Cello Performance)
Karen Tsao, Premium Instrument Consultant (Expertise Viola Performance)
Liz Lambson, Luthier & Professional Bassist (Expertise Bass Performance)
Joel Kennedy, President
Joel Kennedy is president and global strategist for Kennedy Violins, Inc. He has played viola and violin for over thirty years. He attended the Eastman School of Music in New York, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in viola performance and completed graduate studies in education there as well. He has played professionally in orchestras all around the United States and has students attending top conservatories in the U.S. and abroad. He is currently a violist in the Portland Opera in Portland, Oregon. Joel Kennedy originally started Kennedy Violins in order to create a platform to provide high-quality instruments for his own string students, who often showed up at lessons with violins that were barely playable. Since then, Joel has traveled the world in search of makers who not only approach violin making with the highest professional standards but also as an art form to be respected. Every instrument maker that Kennedy Violins represents has been hand selected because they adhere to Joel's specific standards.
Marisa Kobilan, Head Luthier
Marisa Kobilan is a fiddler and violinist in the Pacific Northwest and head luthier for Kennedy Violins. Marisa has studied violin making and repair at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute of the University of New Hampshire under Paul Wiessmeyer and Francis Morris. She has also studied with Al Faruolo of Portland, Oregon. Every instrument that leaves Kennedy Violins has been set-up to Marisa's standards and adheres to the highest levels of playability and sound performance. Her goal is to make sure that every instrument received by a Kennedy Violins customer is ready to play, stays in tune, and will provide years of trouble-free service. She enjoys competing in fiddle contests all across the Northwest.
Heather Case, Customer Relations Supervisor
Heather started playing violin in the public school system in the third grade. She continued through college where she studied music education. Currently, she teaches orchestra at after school programs for three Portland grade schools and performs with the local Beaverton Symphony Orchestra. She prides herself on being a helpful and knowledgeable person on the other end of the phone with parents who want the best instrument for their child. She is always a willing listener to any questions or need of assistance. Because of her years of experience teaching small children, she is especially adept at providing valuable information concerning which violin and which size instrument is best for young students.
Adam Easley
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Adam Easley, Lead Web Developer, Marketing Analyst
Adam has been involved with music since he was 8. He plays Violin, Guitar,and Piano. His high school string orchestra was excellent and traveled toured the United States. He studied with Krzysztof Zymovski, and James Stern at UOP. At SF State he played jazz violin in the Creative World Ensemble with Havez Modirzideh whom he also studied advanced improvisation from. He also worked in production in San Francisco for Bill Graham Presents, as a stagehand and projectionist. At Evergreen State he studied Music Technology and Audio Engineering. Adam enjoys composing and recording in his home studio. He has taught at the 4/4 school of music in Clackamas Oregon for about 2 years.
Rachel Davis, Marketing & Community Relations Representative
Rachel grew up in a musical family. She started singing and playing piano at an early age. In fifth grade, she began playing the violin in the school orchestra. It wasn't long, however, before she fell in love with the sound of the cello. Cello has since been her favorite instrument to play. Growing up in Portland, Oregon provided many opportunities for musical growth. Rachel participated in local groups like the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Portland Youth Philharmonic. After earning her bachelor’s degree in music from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, she moved back to the Northwest where she currently plays for the Willamette Falls Symphony, the Willamette Falls Trio, and the indie rock band, Capraesque.
Karen Tsao, Premium Instrument Consultant
Karen Tsao is a sales representative who specializes in premium instrument consultation. She received her bachelor’s degree in viola performance from the Eastman School of Music. She has performed professionally in orchestras all over the world. She is currently the principal violist for the Portland Opera and her particular expertise is traveling the world to test and select the best instruments for Kennedy Violins. She is fluent in several languages and is a great asset to Kennedy Violins in communicating with luthiers and selecting only the highest quality instruments.
Elizabeth Lambson, Luthier & Professional Bassist
Liz Lambson, luthier for Kennedy Violins, is a bass player from Colorado Springs, Colorado. With a bachelor’s degree in music from Brigham Young University, Liz has performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, Ballet West, Vancouver Symphony, Columbia Symphony, American Festival Orchestra, and Utah Shakespeare Festival as well as several rock, folk, and jazz bands. Liz has performed with notable artists such as Peter Cetera, Audra McDonald, Renee Fleming, Sissel, and Michael Martin Murphy, and has performed on movie soundtracks including Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and Forever Strong. She released an album of original folk songs in 2006 (Liz Rhodes, Red and Yellow) on guitar and vocals. Liz and her husband Sam moved to Oregon in 2009. They enjoy making pizza, woodworking, the arts, and spending time with their beautiful baby boy.