Frequently Asked Questions
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Services include sound and playability adjustments, professional cleaning and repairs to varnish, and the full range of set-up, repair, and restoration required for the continuing health of your violin, viola, cello, or bass. I am also available for custom work, like this commissioned piece.
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Soroka Violins is located in Garden Valley, California, about halfway between Placerville and Auburn in the Sierra Foothills. I regularly make trips to the Bay Area in order to pick-up and deliver instruments, and am available locally to clients in the Auburn, Placerville, and Sacramento area
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Yes, and it’s something I love to do. Unlike working with newer instruments, restoring an antique violin-family instrument requires working around previous repairs, meticulously repairing cracks and issues with varnish, all while still tastefully showcasing the true age and patina of wear on the instrument.
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Rachael Soroka has worked professionally in the violin repair and restoration field since 1999. Her first apprenticeship was with Peter Horn in his shop in Cleveland, Ohio. After that, she worked with Valerio Mongillo in Burlington, Vermont for 4 years. She attended summer seminars with Hans Nebel in New York and at the Violin Society of America’s summer programs at Oberlin College. She studied violin making for a year under John Paul Moroz in Salt Lake City. She spent two years working in the shop of Roland Feller in San Francisco, and continues today to work under his mentorship.
In 2008, Rachael opened Soroka Violins and continues to do contract repair and restoration work for other major violin shops around the country as well as servicing instruments for local clients.
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You can reach Soroka Violins by sending an email to rachael@sorokaviolins.com or by calling directly at 415-317-0581.
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While I don’t offer set pricing (each instrument and situation is unique), you can reach out for a free and friendly consultation.