Passing it on ... The ZHI Intern Program

For many years Zuckermann Harpsichords has provided people with a chance to obtain practical and informative on-the-job experience in the design, building and regulation of harpsichords and clavichords. With this idea in mind, Zuckermann Harpsichords has developed an internship program designed to give young aspiring craftsmen (and women) the direct experience of working in a major harpsichord making shop. The object is twofold: to whet a young person's appetite for further commitment to the profession and to provide people with the necessary and often hard-to-acquire skills that enable them to master every aspect of the craft. Our internship provides an opportunity for the individual to experience the many different aspects of the profession under the expert supervision of the highly experienced Zuckermann staff in Stonington, CT.

This formal internship is conducted as an actual, productive position on the Zuckermann staff and interns are compensated for their time while being afforded the best possible introduction to the many facets of this timeless craft. Contact us for more information.

Our current intern Thomas Bowers. Thomas is a student at Florida State University in his hometown of Tallahassee where he studies math and philosophy. His interest in early music and the harpsichord began at a young age.

In his own words Thomas said, "When I first heard recordings of the instrument, I was enamored with its clarity and tone. Harpsichords remained somewhat mysterious to me for some time, as I came across very few people who knew much about them".

After ten years of playing piano Thomas decided it was time to learn more about the harpsichord and began to study the history and mechanics of early keyboard instruments. He started harpsichord lessons in the spring of 2008 at FSU with Dr. Karyl Louwenaar and also took lessons in setting historical temperaments with Anne Garee, FSU’s piano technician.

"Learning to play the instrument has been nothing but a joy. New life is breathed into baroque keyboard music when it is played on the harpsichord. I immediately realized that certain phrases in Scarlatti preludes, for example, make so much more sense when performed on the harpsichord rather than the piano".

Thomas was also interested in woodworking and in 2006 he started carving tobacco pipes out of briar. This, of course, is quite a different craft than building harpsichords, but it has helped him to discover a love for working with his hands.

"I am very excited to be working at the Zuckermann shop, and I look forward to developing the skills necessary to produce a great instrument".

We are pleased to have Thomas with us.

Visit Thomas' Blog