A War Story

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.

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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

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.

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Happy Anniversary?

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 tasein 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.

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Moving Right Along

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

Thanks, and a Statement from the Owner

Many of you have sent me personal messages, email, cards, flowers, and so many other good wishes. I want to express my gratitude for that; the avalanche of goodwill has been really heartening during a difficult time.

The owner of the Lipinski violin has requested I post the following statement here. It is below, unedited in its entirety.

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