( ...continued from page 1 ) Q: Please tell us about your particular instrument and its history.

A: My instrument is actually original, that is 300+ years old. It is from what is now either Northern Italy or Southern Austria, and nobody really knows who made it (if they did, I probably couldn't have afforded it).

My violin has had a long and productive life, and has many cracks and battle scars to show for it. It was lovingly played by a lot of very accomplished people before me--it shows in the type of wear that it has in all of the right places. Every time I pick it up I think of all of the concerts, dances, masses, celebrations, weddings, funerals, and joy and tears that it was part of, and how I'm so lucky to be its player for this lifetime.

There's a saying about violins that you never really own them, but you just get to use them for a while until future generations get their turn. For now I just love to be part of the magic of this time continuum from the past, and I love this old-old fiddle, and the way it carries part of all those ancient souls, and accepts mine.

I’ve made a few violins myself. Someday I‘ll build myself a gaudy replica baroque violin for my own satisfaction, but all of the fiddles that I make these days are modern in design (the classic old Stradivarius design set up for modern playing).

Q: How did you come to study baroque violin?

RS: Most of today’s Baroque musicians first played modern instruments. We learned to play great old music today’s way with modern classical aesthetics: accuracy, power, speed, wildly emotional expression, and a bag of dazzling virtuoso tricks. Faster, louder, higher! ( continued on page 3... )