Hopkinson Smith is one of the world's foremost experts on early plucked instruments, recognized for his knowledge of and performances on the lute, theorbo, vihuela, and predecessors of the guitar. As such, Smith has also taught many of the following generation of lutenists.
As a teenager, Smith played classical guitar, but then discovered the world of early music and began teaching himself to play the lute. He graduated with honors from Harvard in 1972 with a degree in musicology, which has served him well in his research on works written for early plucked instruments. He stu...