Frank Kovanda - an internationally known American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 maker of bows (Archetier

Archetier

A bow maker is a person who builds, repairs, and restores ancient or modern bows for instruments of the violin family. These include violins, violas, cellos, double basses, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, etc....

).

Born in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, he learned violin making from and worked for John Hornsteiner of Chicago, violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 maker.

He was for many years associated with William Lewis and Son

William Lewis and Son

William Lewis & Son - was a distinguished firm in Chicago that specialized in fine musical instruments and bows.Established in 1874, stayed in the business for over 80 years....

 in Chicago, where he gained recognition for outstanding ability as a maker of fine bows

Bow (music)

In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....

 and their fittings.

He has produced a number of superb copies of the bows of Francois Tourte

François Tourte

François Xavier Tourte was a Frenchman who, though trained as a watchmaker, soon changed to making bows for playing classical string instruments such as the violin....

, Dominique Peccatte

Dominique Peccatte

Dominique Peccatte was an influential French luthier and bow maker. He was apprenticed in Mirecourt and later worked with Jean Baptiste Vuillaume....

, Nicolaus Kittel

Nicolaus Kittel

Nicolaus Kittel, fully Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel was a Russian bow maker who until recently thought to be of German origin, and was known as the "Russian Tourte"....

 and other famous makers as well as many reproductions of frogs.

"Having worked in Chicago from 1921-1945, he moved to Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

after WWII and established own shop there. Made several hundred bows.
Branded "F.KOVANDA" Some bows were left unstamped (as they were reproductions). Frank died on April 21, 1993."