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Jim Cunningham and Eva Burmeister, Violin

“How does a simple piece of wood become a violin, the king of instruments? Watch and find out as Eugene Drucker, a member of the world–renowned Emerson String Quartet, commissions Sam Zygmuntowicz, a Brooklyn craftsman, to make him a new violin. As he tells this extraordinary story, journalist John Marchese shares the rich lore of this beloved instrument and illuminates an art that has barely changed since the Renaissance.

Marchese takes readers from start to finish as Zygmuntowicz builds the violin, from the first selection of the wood, to the cutting of the back and belly, through the carving of the scroll and the fingerboard, to the placement of the sound peg. Though much of the story takes place in the craftsman's museum–like Brooklyn workshop, there are side trips across the river to the rehearsal rooms of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln center, and across the world. Stops on the itinerary include Cremona, Italy, the magical city where Antonio Stradivari (and a few of his contemporaries) achieved a level of violin–making perfection that has endured for centuries, as well as points in France and Germany integral to the history of the violin.

A stunning work of narrative nonfiction that's also a finely crafted, loving homage to the instrument that most closely approximates the human voice.”

Join the PSO in an exploration of major themes from the 2013-2014 season through books ranging from fiction to cultural history to personal memoirs. Read the book and join WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham and PSO musicians in an afternoon of lively discussion.

Each book club event is held before select Sunday BNY Mellon Grand Classics performances at 1:30PM in the Grand Tier lounge at Heinz Hall and is free and open to all ticket holders.  Advance Registration is Required.

FREE and open to all ticket holders to the afternoon's performance

TO REGISTER: Call 412.392.4876 or email explore@pittsburghsymphony.org
Advance registration is required. Availability is limited.