John Thorell is a violinmaker
living and working
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music as a cellist at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, John graduated from the North Bennet Street School’s Violin Making & Repair program, where he studied under violinmaker Roman Barnas.
John began working with violins in the shop of Robert Gordon III in Belsano, Pennsylvania, and attended the Violin Craftsmanship Institute at the University of New Hampshire under geigenbaumeister Horst Kloss.
He has also worked in the shops of violinmaker Kevin Kelly of Boston, and studied bowmaking with Cambridge bowmaker David Hawthorne.
John had the privilege to serve for five formative years as staff assistant to the directors of the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop at Oberlin College.
Since 2014, John has performed Repair, Restoration and Adjustment services in the Center City Philadelphia shop of Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins, where he continues to offer services to the musicians of Philadelphia and greater Southeastern Pennsylvania region.