Jacob Brillhart aims to build violin family instruments that are both exciting to play and are also objects of sculptural beauty.

From his shop in central Vermont, Brillhart builds both violins and violas entirely by hand with carefully selected European wood. It is his goal to make instruments that possess a strong and powerful voice and display intricate and delicate craftsmanship. To achieve this, Brillhart personally designs every detail and shapes every piece by hand. 

The voice of a violin is determined by the curves and shapes of the physical body. Thus form and function are inseparable. The smallest shavings must be removed carefully by knife, chisel, gouge, or plane in order to slowly turn raw blocks of lumber into the desired shapes, dimensions, and curves that give the instrument its strength, its beauty, and its unique voice. 

Brillhart believes that the voice and body of a violin should adhere to classical aesthetics and simultaneously project an organic personality and sense of life.

A graduate of the North Bennet Street School in Boston, Jacob Brillhart studied violin making under master maker Roman Barnas.

 .