16 1/2" Huai Li Ming viola, Auckland, 1994

Chinese violin maker Huai Li Ming arrived in New Zealand in the early 1990’s, working first with Noel Sweetman and then, for two years, with the Stringed Instrument Company. This handsome viola, modelled after Stradivari, was made during the latter period, using handsomely flamed European maple for the one-piece back, and with matching wood for the neck and scroll. The tone is clear, resonant and even, with a pleasingly reedy bite on the lower strings.