Trevor Semple
Luthier, craftsman, engineer, university lecturer and writer, Trevor Semple has a full career spanning more than 25 years. During that time he has moved from the rather conservative world of Early Music into the science of modern techniques and materials. His work has been highly experimental in nature and characterised by a restless desire for greater knowledge and improved design. He has tested a very wide range of soundboard materials, including aerospace materials like aluminium, carbon fibre, and honeycombs. As we enter the new millennium, this research programme has resulted in an entirely new series of concert guitars and a new steel-string acoustic, both based on very sophisticated engineering. Trevor Semple has written a large number of articles on the rise of modern science, acoustics, engineering practices, materials, and lutherie. He has also lectured in a significant number of music schools and conservatoires in Europe and North America. Some years ago, he was invited to take part in "Making It" at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His work has also been featured by the BBC in a short programme for children. In his desire to explore future possibilities, he is currently undertaking research for a PhD in Microsystems Technology at Imperial College, London. There are many applications for this emergent technology particularly in the fields of IT and data processing, but there will also be many significant uses in lutherie, including for example, smart surfaces, micromaterials and micro-transducers. This opens up a whole range of possibilities in terms of man-made materials and electro-acoustic design.