I was born and raised in Gainesville, FL and have loved the violin since I can remember. My family is of Puerto Rican and American heritage, and growing up, my parents would often play classical and Spanish music, which both showcase the violin. After my older brother began playing the violin, I begged to be able to play the violin, too. Finally, at the age of six, I received my very first violin at our family’s New Year’s Eve party and I have been playing the violin ever since!

In middle school, I began to show an interest in how the violin worked, and after many visits to the local violin shop of, “May I watch you work on that?” I was offered an apprenticeship and began learning to clean, set-up, and tune instruments. I worked in the local shop for many years, and then, in 2011, I was sent to learn to rehair bows. Upon discovering the beauty of working on bows, I got hooked and have not looked back.

I took my first bow making course in 2014 with Steve Beckley, and in the following two years proceeded to study bow making at The Violin Craftsman Institute with Lynn Hannings and George Rubino. In 2018, I began taking bow making courses with Rodney Mohr, and since 2019 have been David Forbes’ apprentice. Along with bow making courses, I have taken several repair and restoration classes throughout the years to keep my training up to date.

In between rehairing, repairing, and making bows, I have maintained a small violin and piano studio which brings a lot of joy into my life.

Outside of working on instruments, bows, and teaching, I have performed with The Gainesville Orchestra since 2013, and often play for local school and playhouse musicals. I also enjoy taking my 1998 Acura Integra on drives and tinkering with the many cars my husband and I own. Any time I get to spend on the tractor on my family’s land is a treasure like no other.

And, as you spend more time with me, you will find many other things that make my life loads of fun!