CHOStrings is the workshop of Rand Hilgart, a violin maker in Charlottesville, Virginia, who crafts violins, violas, and cellos by hand and offers restoration and repair services. With more than a decade of experience and apprenticeship training under master violinmaker Oded Kishony, his work reflects a thoughtful approach to craftsmanship, sound, and design.

“The violin has a rich and lovely sound!”

-Client musician playing violin by Rand Hilgart, 2023, after the Guarneri del Gesu model