Matthew Zeller Joins Gearcheck as Advisor

We are pleased to welcome Matthew Zeller, PhD, Curator for Europe at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, as an advisor to Gearcheck.

Matt is an organologist, musicologist, and trained violin bow maker whose work sits at the intersection of rigorous historical research, scientific analysis, and hands-on craftsmanship. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Duke University and a master's degree specializing in musical instrument history from the University of South Dakota, where he worked at the National Music Museum. He previously served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the ACTOR Project at McGill University's Schulich School of Music and has taught the history of musical instruments at Duke and music theory at McGill. He has also served as a curatorial consultant for the Duke University Musical Instrument Collections.

His research centers on the history, design, and development of the violin family — particularly instruments of the Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari workshops — and their place in musical-material culture. He is a recognized leader in historical metrology (the study of historical measurement systems and their application to instrument design) and has pioneered the use of ultraviolet fluorescence, X-ray, and CT scanning technologies in organological research. He applies his practical training in violin and bow making and restoration to reconstruct original outlines, document alterations over centuries, and uncover the stories embedded in the physical objects themselves. He is currently completing a book on Cremonese violin design from Andrea Amati to Antonio Stradivari.

At MIM, Matt is responsible for the Europe Gallery collections and exhibitions. He curated the major 2024-2025 exhibition Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars, which presented 75 instruments and bows — including works by Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri del Gesu alongside important historical guitars by makers such as the Sellas family and Alexandre Voboam — and drew 64,000 visitors. He is currently co-curating The Magical Flute: Beauty, Enchantment, and Power. He co-founded the Organology Study Group of the American Musicological Society, serves as President of the Musical Instrument Research Catalogue (MIRCat), and sits on the Board of Governors of the American Musical Instrument Society.

For Gearcheck, Matt's expertise strengthens the platform's core mission: treating high-value instruments as both living tools and cultural artifacts that deserve precise documentation, secure provenance records, and thoughtful storytelling. His experience with scientific imaging, historical measurement systems, condition analysis, and the reconstruction of instrument histories directly informs how we help collectors, artists, estates, and builders create durable, verifiable digital records. His curatorial work — especially the deliberate pairing of master violins with period guitars — also reinforces the broader cultural and material connections that matter to the communities Gearcheck serves.

Every record. Every story.