The Saga of Volcanic Ash

As many of you know, after much build up, I was unable to make it to Oslo for the Ole Bull Del Gesu Project as a result of the widespread flight disruptions caused by the volcano eruption in Iceland. My original flight on Thursday morning was cancelled, and I was rebooked on a flight on Saturday evening, which was also later cancelled. After that, the next flight available to rebook was after the end of the exhibition, so I was forced to cancel my trip entirely.

While it is certainly disappointing to miss this event, I have made the best of the situation. While waiting for my rebooked flight in Chicago, I had the opportunity to visit with my violinist friend Kevin Case, and we had a great time playing in my Ole Bull. I also had an opportunity to stop by Michael Darnton's shop in Chicago to show him my Ole Bull violin and to watch him work.

After the trip was cancelled, I decided to spend a few days visiting family, and I was honored to have my father play my Ole Bull, as well as my childhood violin teacher Jackie McFaul (whose daughter Rebecca is now a member of the fantastic Fry Street Quartet). I also had the opportunity to show my Ole Bull to Claire Givens and her staff in Minneapolis, which is the shop where, when I was young, a workshop tour originally inspired me to make violins.

I know that I promised photos and updates from Scandinavia on this blog. So, along the way, I tried to experience as much "Scandinavia in America" as possible with my Ole Bull. First, we decided to visit the volcano that disrupted our travel -- who knew it had a mermaid:

Then, we visited an authentic Norwegian coffee house and gift boutique:

We were honored to have a troll play my Ole Bull:

Then, we visited Ole Bull himself:

And, to compensate for the Swedish part of our trip, stopped by a quaint Swedish store:

Thanks to everyone for following this blog and for all of your support and well wishes. Its now time to return to the shop to start on my next violin.

The First Sounds of the Ole Bull

I am honored to have the first sounds of my Ole Bull violin covered in a story in the Ann Arbor Chronicle. You can access the article by clicking here.

Final Photos of Ole Bull

I'm off to Chicago tomorrow to have a good friend play my Ole Bull violin, and then off to Oslo on Thursday, where my Ole Bull violin will be on display as part of the Ole Bull Del Gesu Project during the Menuhin Competition.

Here are some photos of the completed instrument:

I will be blogging throughout my trip, so please check back frequently!

Number One is Done!

Violin number one is finally finished, and I'm happy to report that it sounds great! I've posted some quick photos below, but I will take and post better quality photos next week.

My Ole Bull will be completed on Monday, and Dave Askins from the Ann Arbor Chronicle will be there to hear its first sounds before I take it to Norway on Wednesday.

Ole Bull Neck Set

The neck has now been set on my Ole Bull. The final steps are to add an ebony crown to the button, finish up some varnish/antiquing work, and set it up to play! I'm hoping to hear it for the first time on Friday or Monday.

Ole Bull - More Varnish Work

The countdown to Oslo continues -- just over a week to go! More varnish/antiquing work has been done on my Ole Bull violin -- still more work to go.....