About Us
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Gailes’ Violin Shop, located in College Park, Maryland, specializes in quality instruments, bows, repairs and restorations. We also carry a large selection of music and accessories.
Bill Gailes was majoring in music performance at the University of Maryland in 1974 while working as a free-lance musician and studying violin
making with a local craftsman. After completing his first violin, Op. 1 No. 1, in 1975, Bill decided to concentrate on making and repairing bowed stringed instruments. He continues to study restoration technique at summer sessions with Hans J. Nebel (almost every year for over 30 years). He has studied with Arnold Bone on bow rehair and repair, and with Samuel Kolstein (yes, once upon a time we did bass repairs), and even a short course with the great Dario D’Attili in 1975. Today Bill’s time is divided between repairing client and shop-owned instruments, sampling and testing new and old instruments and bows for possible additions to our inventory, and repairing varnish on our old and antique instruments.
David McDermott has been working with Gailes’ Violin Shop since 1985 when he graduated from the Chicago School of Violin Making. In addition to fine repairs and restorations, he is a gifted maker of violins, violas and cellos. His instruments are available at Gailes’ Violin Shop and pictures are available on the violin page.
Tom Carroll has worked with Gailes’ Violin Shop since 1976. Tom studied with Geary Baese and now does all of the varnish work on our ‘white’ instruments. He also studied with Hans Jurgen Nebel and does some repair work at the shop. In addition, Tom has his own business, buying instruments in the white, varnishing them, and selling them at shops throughout the country from Maine to Georgia to California and Washington, and including Gailes’ Violin Shop.
Mark Mihlbauer has been responsible for all of our bow repairs, restorations and rehairing since 1980. He studied at the University of New Hampshire Violin Craftsmanship Institute. He particularly enjoys the challenge of restoring antique bows.
Susan Huemrich joined the Gailes’ Violin Shop staff in 2003. She studied business at Robert Morris University and now manages our business office. In addition, she assists clients with instrument rentals and purchases and maintains the music inventory.
Jason Diggs is a fine violist and a graduate of Shenandoah University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Jason has performed with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the 2 Rivers Chamber Orchestra in West Virginia, the Harrisburg Symphony, and the Maryland Symphony. He is currently a freelance violist in the mid-Atlantic region and teaches in the DC/Maryland area. 
Julia Snyder has been working at Gailes’ Violin Shop since 2004. During her breaks from St. Mary’s College, she assists clients in the shop and helps maintain the rental fleet. She studied violin performance at Catholic University.
Osvaldo Rivera attends Parkdale High School. He plays soccer and other sports. He also plays guitar. He intends to study mathematics and computer science in the future and is striving to become an engineer.
Betsy Pohlhaus, who has been with the shop since 2003, is a fine violinist who helps us on Saturdays. She assists clients, assists in the office, and does some rental instrument repairs. She attended the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kiara Rivera-Rodriguez is currently a student at Parkdale High and enjoys bachate style music. She is valuable at GVS because of her organizational skills and attention to detail. She plans to study Medical Assisting because she enjoys helping others.
Betty Gailes has worked at Gailes’ Violin Shop off and on since 1999 when she and Bill got married. Currently she works mostly from home maintaining the website and handling all aspects of advertising. When she’s not working for GVS, she teaches music full-time in an elementary school.