Chris grew up in St. George, Utah and, after serving in the military and being away from Southern Utah for over 20 years, he is happy to call St. George home again. Chris started playing the violin when he was 8 years old and, as he approached adulthood, passed on his love of music by teaching those just starting to play. After returning home from Iraq, Chris went back to what he knew and loved, the violin.
In 2009, Chris began teaching one or two students from home. As more students came to him, he saw how often young musicians struggled with sub-par, inexpensive, and sometimes nearly unplayable instruments purchased online. He began helping families find better quality instruments that were still affordable.
As Chris became more interested in understanding the instruments his students were playing, renowned Salt Lake City violin maker Peter Paul Prier became an important influence. During a difficult period following Chris’s return from combat, Peter shared his knowledge and philosophy about the craft and offered Chris his complete When Trees Sing: The Complete Guide to Violin Making course as an alternative way to learn because traditional classroom instruction wasn’t practical due to his severe PTSD. Chris completed the course and continued developing his repair and restoration skills through independent study and years of hands-on experience.
That experience reinforced something Chris was already seeing as a teacher: there is only so much even the most gifted student can do with what music teachers sometimes call a “VSO,” or violin-shaped object. A quality, properly set-up instrument should help a student develop rather than make learning unnecessarily difficult.
What started with a few students at home continued to grow through word of mouth. Chris’s teaching schedule filled, families began traveling from throughout the region for instruments and personalized help, and his work expanded to include violin-family instrument setup, repair, and restoration.
In 2022, Chris and Jackie took the next step and opened The Violin Gallery, eventually making its home at Green Gate Village. Although the setting has changed considerably from those first lessons at home, the goal remains much the same: provide quality instruments, honest guidance, skilled service, and a personal experience for every customer.
Stop by The Violin Gallery and you will quickly see that this is not your traditional music shop.
We have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds since we met aboard a U.S. Army transport plane in 2003 as we headed toward Iraq. We spent fifteen months in a combat zone and, after returning home, got married, and started our life together.
Many veterans that serve return home to discover that things that were once simple have become difficult. After being medically/honorably discharged from the military, Chris struggled with traditional employment. Music has not only been a great coping mechanism but has provided Chris with a wonderful career that enriches the lives of those around him.
Thank you for visiting our site, we hope you will come in and visit our new store at the Green Gate Village Shops!
Chris Hobson
Jackie Hobson
