American luthier Arthur Toman (1947-2004) trained at the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City, graduating in 1975. He apprenticed with violin maker René Morel at the renowned shop of Jacques Français in New York City before opening his own workshop in Mt. Vernon, New York in 1982. In 1986, Toman moved his business to Newton, Massachusetts, where he restored and built violins, violas, and cellos, while teaching violin making courses at the North Bennet Street School in Boston.
In 2014, the book Between the Notes: Making Art's Cello was published by friend and colleague James McKean in Toman's honor. Toman's instruments have won numerous awards for tone and workmanship at international violin making competitions and are played by professionals worldwide.
