ISB 2025 Convention Presenter — Kathy Reilly

Kathleen Reilly co-owns Vermont Violins with her husband, Oren
where she manages the manufacture of the V. Richelieu™line of violins and
violas, the American distribution of Sonowood (a sustainable wood alternative
to ebony), and the Company’s other activities in instrument sales and
restoration. Her education background includes the Oberlin Conservatory and
College, studying Viola Performance and international Relations; a master’s
degree in the Field Naturalist Program from the botany department at the University
of Vermont, and lutherie courses with Hans Nebel and Horst Klaus. Her earliest
employment focused on issues related to the international tropical timber trade
and endangered species preservation at Friends of the Earth, including working
papers for a United Nations CITES convention and broader educational articles.
As a scientist with The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, she developed management
plans for existing nature preserves and designed new preserves with updated
ecosystem protection principles. When the company began production of its own
line of instruments, the V. Richelieu ™ violins and violas, she was eager to
have her experience in environmental policy and preservation inform the
manufacturing process. Vermont Violins incorporates long-term policies that
conserve rare resources, including Pernambuco, ivory and ebony.