Stradivari – non divisi

A Pandemic Survey

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 by Frank Almond

Like many musicians now, I’m incredibly busy with important issues like waking up, etc. So about a week ago I asked some friends (musicians or not) how they were spending their quarantine time, or what their current projects/goals were. Apologies if yours was not included in the list below, but please feel free to add in the comment section. learn to play the violin learn to play another instrument, or at least the basics of viola. give Zoom lessons after a few weeks of learning an instrument. post something on social media … Continue Reading

A War Story

April 13, 2020April 12, 2020 by Frank Almond

Fortunately, I’ve never been in a “real” war. I’ve thought about that a lot over the years, especially during my time at Juilliard interacting with various musicians and teachers who’d really been through it, some barely escaping and somehow not only surviving, but flourishing as artists in the aftermath of some horror. Now here we are.

Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

May 5, 2016 by Frank Almond

Many people know I’m extremely fortunate to play on an incredible violin that’s gained even more notoriety over the past couple of years. One of the numerous challenges after it was stolen was to try and pick up where I left off artistically and otherwise, which in reality ended up being much more difficult than I’d anticipated. In any case, I’m happy to announce that tomorrow (May 6) A Violin’s Life, Vol. 2 will be officially released, after a long and winding road.

A Familiar Feeling

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 by Frank Almond

Like everyone else, I was amazed to read about the recovery of the Ames Stradivarius last week, and the poignant reflections from Roman Totenberg’s daughter Nina, the noted journalist. For me the story had a certain obvious resonance; I remembered the surreal feeling when I received a phone call informing me the Lipinski Strad had been found only nine days after my ordeal began. Imagine waiting 35 years, and finding out the culprit was some nitwit you suspected all along. And that the violin just sat there in a locked case for 4 years after the nitwit’s death until someone decided to take a closer look.

Happy Anniversary?

January 28, 2015 by Frank Almond

Exactly a year ago at this time I’d been asleep for about two hours and was awakened by a phone call from the Milwaukee Police Department, who had somehow found my violin case by the side of the road in the snow. It was empty. An hour after that, I stared out the window and watched various local media go up and down the street ringing doorbells trying to figure out which house was mine. Things got weirder from there. And weirder.

Moving Right Along

December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by Frank Almond

I think that’s the longest I’ve ever gone without posting, but to be honest with all the violin stuff winding down and everything else going on, I really didn’t feel like writing much. So just in time for the holiday season…… Guess I’ll start out with some random stuff, like a new addition to the orchestral fines page: – Shooting the concertmaster with a Taser and stealing a violin you can’t do anything with: [box]7 years in prison, followed by 5 years of extended supervision, plus restitution determined by the court. [/box] And in … Continue Reading