Violins will be the focus of the next Community Luncheon Series presentation Thursday, April 17 at Keuka College.

Local violin maker Thomas Close will discuss various aspects of the profession at noon in the Gannett Room of Lightner Library.

Close, owner of Keuka Lutherie (Keuka Park), will describe the Mittenwald style of violin making, and will show the variety of tools and special forms employed in the style. He will also show several of the instruments he has made.

Close began crafting violins as a hobby during his 30 years as a patent attorney for Eastman Kodak Co. After retiring in 2003, Close and his wife moved to Keuka Lake, and he enrolled in the Violin Institute at the University of New Hampshire. Close studied under the tutelage of Master Violin Maker Karl Roy, who founded and directs the institute.

Tickets are $10.50 in advance ($11 at the door), $2.50 of which goes to the Penn Yan Keuka Club Scholarship Fund. The fund provides an annual scholarship to a local student attending Keuka College. Seating is limited, so reservations are advised. Make checks payable to Keuka College and mail to: Cass Crovetti, Office of Alumni and Family Relations, Keuka College, Keuka Park, N.Y.14478. The reservation deadline is Friday, April 11.

For more information, call (315) 279-5212.

-- Gretchen Parsells