Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh

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Joe McHugh is a storyteller, fiddler, and award-winning public radio journalist who travels the world exploring the many roles the violin family of instruments play in society today. He has interviewed gifted musicians who play a variety of styles—classical, folk, jazz, and rock—as well as master lu…

Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh


    • May 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 52m AVG DURATION
    • 87 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh podcast is a fascinating and informative show that is sure to captivate any fiddle player, regardless of their preferred genre. Whether you enjoy classical, old time, Irish, or klesmer fiddle, this podcast has something for everyone. The format of the show is interview-based, featuring discussions with various names in the violin world. While the podcast primarily focuses on interviews with luthiers, there are also episodes covering other music-related topics that offer valuable insights and knowledge.

    One of the best aspects of The Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh podcast is its exceptional production value. The commentary and interviews are incredibly well-done and create an immersive listening experience akin to watching a documentary. It is evident that a great deal of effort has been put into ensuring high-quality content for the listeners. This dedication to creating a polished and professional show adds immense value to every episode.

    Furthermore, this podcast stands out for its ability to educate and inform its audience. Each interview provides unique perspectives and insights from experienced individuals in the violin world. Listeners can learn about different techniques, styles, and historical events related to fiddling. The host asks thoughtful questions that delve deep into each guest's expertise and experiences, making for engrossing conversations that expand listeners' knowledge about violins.

    However, one downside of The Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh podcast is that it seems relatively unknown within the violin community. The reviewer mentioned not seeing much discussion about it on violin forums, which suggests that it may not have gained as much traction as it deserves. It would be beneficial if more fiddle players were aware of this podcast and could benefit from its valuable content.

    In conclusion, The Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh podcast is an impressive show that offers a wealth of information for fiddle players across various genres. Its superb production value creates an immersive experience akin to watching a documentary. The interviews with luthiers and other figures in the violin world provide valuable insights, making this podcast a must-listen for any fiddle enthusiast. While it may not have received widespread recognition yet, The Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh podcast deserves more attention and appreciation within the violin community.



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    Latest episodes from Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh

    Jonathan Cooper - Violin Maker from Maine

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 55:40


    I met Jonathan at the Wintergrass Music Festival some years ago where he was exhibiting some of his instruments. Mark O'Connor was performing at the festival and was playing one of Jonathan's violins. Mark loved the violin and he made sure I interviewed Jonathan for the Rosin the Bow project. Here is that interview.

    Purnaprajna Bangere & David Balakrishnan - Mathematics as Muse - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022 56:22


    This podcast continues my conversation with two remarkable and thoughtful musicians. It also explores how the principles of abstract geometry can inform both the composition and performance of violin music and how different cultures and musical traditions can enrich the experience of music and of life itself.

    muse mathematics david balakrishnan
    Purnaprajna Bangere & David Balakrishnan - Mathematics as Muse - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022 46:20


    Purnaprajna Bangere is both a brilliant mathematician and a highly-respected violinist trained in the classical violin music of southern India. David Balakrishnan is a violinist, composer, and member of the Turtle Island String Quartet who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2017, David spent several months as an artist-in-residence working with Purna in Lawrence, Kansas, home of the University of Kansas. This interview explores their unique musical collaboration that weaves together the classical violin music traditions of southern India with that of Europe and the United States.   

    Bashar Matti - Iraqi-American Violinist

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 42:48


    Bashar Matti was born in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War and endured the troubled times of the Kuwait-Iraq War and subsequent United States invasion of his country. Through it all he clung to his love of the violin and music and was eventually able to come to the United States where he studied violin with Kathryn Lucktenberg at the University of Oregon. 

    Amanda Forsyth - Cellist

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2022 54:56


    Amanda Forsyth is a cellist who was born in South Africa and grew up in Canada. Her father was a composer who inspired her to become a musician. She is married to the violinist Pinchas Zukerman and I interviewed her after a concert she performed with her husband and the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

    Daniel Rouslin and the Mystery of the Hidden Violin

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2022 39:05


    Daniel Rouslin taught violin and music theater at Willamette University for many years. He was teaching there in 1988 when an early 18th century Italian violin was discovered hidden under the floor boards of Waller Hall, the oldest building on the campus of the oldest institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. How did violin get there? Who made the violin? What should the school do with such a unique and valuable violin? Dan tells the story of the remarkable discovery and also shares his own story as a musician and music educator. 

    Rhiannon Giddens - Fiddler, Banjoist, and Singer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2022 60:47


    Grammy and MacArthur award winner Rhiannon Giddens grew up in North Carolina near the city of Greensboro, which is where I interviewed her in 2015 while she was performing at the National Folk Festival. A founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, she was trained as an opera singer before her passion for the banjo, fiddle, and folk songs took hold. She has done much to educate the public, as well as fellow musicians, about the contribution African-American musicians have made to the traditional folk music of United States. 

    John Sherba - Violinist with the Kronos Quartet - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2022 54:53


    This is part two of my conversation with violinist John Sherba who is a member of the Kronos Quartet. In this podcast he talks about some of the quartet's innovative musical projects as well as talking about his own violins.

    John Sherba - Violinist with the Kronos Quartet - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2022 52:55


    John Sherba is a violinist and member of the legendary Kronos Quartet. I interviewed John several months after the Covid 19 pandemic changed everyone's life. Here he talks about his family and his own musical journey.

    Tony Ellis - Musician, Composer, and Trader of Musical Instruments

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 63:13


    Tony Ellis' first professional job as a musician was playing banjo for Bill Monroe, considered by many as the father of bluegrass music. Along with being a gifted banjo player and fiddler, Tony also composes some of the sweetest tunes this side of paradise. And if you need your fiddle adjusted or maybe you're in the market for a new instrument, stop by Tony's shop in Circleville, Ohio. This interview was recorded in 2018 at the Fraley Family Music Festival that is held each year at Carter Caves State Park in the hill country of eastern Kentucky.

    Marco Imer Piccinotti - Italian Violin Maker - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2022 40:23


    This is part two of my conversation with violin maker Marco Imer Piccinotti who lives in the town of San Polo d'Enza in Northern Italy.

    Marco Imer Piccinotti - Italian Violin Maker - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2022 48:14


    Marco Imer Piccinotti is a highly-regarded violin maker living in the town of San Polo d'Enza in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Paula and I visited Marco at his home where I recorded this interview.

    Christian Howes - Jazz Violin and the Hero's Journey - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2022 45:12


    This is part two of my fascinating interview with violinist and music educator Christian Howes. 

    hero journey part christian howes jazz violin
    Christian Howes - Jazz Violin and the Hero's Journey - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2022 64:30


    Christian Howes is a gifted violinist who grew up in Ohio playing classical music, soloing with the Columbus Symphony at the age of sixteen. But then his life was turned upside down when he was sentenced to served four years in prison. I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, in 2016 to ask Christ to share his remarkable story with us. This is part one of that conversation.

    jesus christ ohio north carolina hero asheville journey part columbus symphony christian howes jazz violin
    Mark Keenan - Irish Violin Maker

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2022 64:17


    I recorded this hour-long interview with violin maker Mark Keenan in 2017 when my wife Paula and I traveled to Ireland. Mark's studio is inside the historic Belmont industrial flour mill in Co. Offaly. Mark's grandfather was also a violin maker at the beginning of the twentieth century in Dublin. 

    Jody Stecher - Old-time Musician - Part Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 56:21


    Here is part two on my conversation with old-time musician Jody Stecher that ranges from music theory, what's in tune and what's not in tune when playing different fiddle tunes for instance, to the intricacies of an old ballad about two sisters who fall in love with the same young man with the refrain, "Oh the Dreadful Wind and Rain." Jody also shares his history with different violins he's owned over the years.

    Jody Stecher - Old-time Musician - Part One

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 51:21


    Jody Stecher is one of the most highly respected folk musicians in the world today. His knowledge of the genre is encyclopedic and his singing and skill on a variety of traditional string instruments is unrivaled. I interviewed Jody at his home in San Francisco in 2017. This is part one of that conversation.  

    Courtney Granger - Louisiana Fiddler

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2021 45:47


    While attending the National Folk Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2015, I had the opportunity to interview fiddler Courtney Granger who was performing at the festival with the Pine Leaf Boys. Sadly, Courtney passed away recently and I wanted to share this interview with others. He was a talented musician and a lovely human being. He will be missed.

    Clay Buckner - Fiddler With the Red Clay Ramblers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2021 49:20


    Clay Buckner is an old-time and Celtic fiddler living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For many years, Clay has been the fiddler for one of my favorite string bands, the Red Clay Ramblers. I recorded this interview at his home after which we spent a pleasant evening playing tunes together.

    Michael Certalic - A Custom-made Violin for a Montana Violinist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2020 53:53


    Michael Certalic is a violinist who lives in Bozeman, Montana, where he heads up the strings program at a local high school. In this podcast, he tells the story of a violin he asked a luthier to make that would contain elements of Montana, a state he dearly loves and that serves as the source of his inspiration as a musician and teacher.

    James Kelly - Irish Fiddler

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2020 67:05


    I interviewed James Kelly at the National Folklore Festival in 2015 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mr. Kelly was born and grew up in Ireland and is now living in the United States. His father was the renowned fiddle and concertina player John Kelly. James talks about growing up in a musical family and how traditional Irish music moved from Ireland to America and back again to Ireland thanks to a series of recordings made in the early years of the twentieth century.

    The Violin-Building for Musician Aid Project

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2020 61:12


    The interviews I conducted with musicians, luthiers, museum curators, tone wood experts and others for the Rosin the Bow project took place before the Covid 19 pandemic upended all our lives. The impact of the pandemic upon the livelihood of working musicians has been devastating and know one knows when conditions with improve for them. Well, I recently heard of innovative project in Vermont that involves the making of a handmade violin and a bow, the streaming in real time on the Internet the making of the violin, and the raffling of violin and bow to raise money for a special fund to help musicians weather these extraordinary times. The project was the brainchild of violin maker Jacob Brillhart but many others stepped up to help make this happen. Here is an interviewed with Jacob and others that tells the story of the project while exploring how those in the violin world can best cope with what is going on. And the raffle is still going on, so listen and buy a ticket or two. You just might get lucky and you'll be helping fellow musicians in the bargain. Just visit:  https://sevenstarsarts.rallyup.com/musicianaid

    Penny Brill - The Healing Power of Music

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2020 68:04


    Penny Brill is an accomplished violist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has also led an effort to bring the healing power of music to hospitals and other medical organizations in the greater Pittsburgh area. I interviewed Ms. Brill at her home in the fall of 2015. In these troubling times of the corona virus outbreak, Ms. Brill offers valuable insights into ways we can be healthy in our bodies and in our communities.

    Hans Johannsson - Icelandic Violin Maker

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2020 56:36


    Hans Johannsson is a violin maker from Iceland. David Fulton is a noted collector of old Italian violins, violas, and cellos. I met and interviewed Hans when he came to David's house in Bellevue, Washington, to examine his collection of rare instruments. It was conversation that covered many subjects related to violin making and the role the arts play in the world today.

    Bruce Molsky - Old-Time Fiddler and Singer

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2020 65:50


    Anyone familiar with what is called "old-time" music knows the name Bruce Molsky. As a fiddler, singer, and guitar and banjo player, he has helped keep traditional American folk music alive and well for the better part of fifty years. I interviewed Bruce at the Oly Old-Time Music Festival in Olympia, Washington, in 2016.

    Lyris Hung - Acoustic/Electric Violinist and Marketer of Violin Strings

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2020 49:18


    Lyris is the former head of marketing for orchestral strings for the D'Addario Musical Strings Company. She is also an accomplished violinist who plays with the popular musical group Indigo Girls. She also has her own rock band named Hung. I interviewed Lyris in 2016 at the Wintergrass Music Festival in Bellevue, Washington.

    Winifred Horan - Fiddler and Composer with the Irish Band Solas - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2020 46:26


    This is the second part of my conversation with Winifred Horan, fiddler with the Irish musical group Solas, during which she talks about her Jonathan Cooper violin and her decision to return to traditional Irish music after many years of training as a classical violinist.

    Winifred Horan - Fiddler and Composer with the Irish Band Solas - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2020 52:33


    I interviewed Winifred Horan when she came to perform with the Irish musical group Solas at the Wintergrass Music Festival in Bellevue, Washington, in 2016. This is part one of that conversation in which she talks about her Irish-born parents, her involvement with traditional Irish dancing, and her extensive classical violin training in New York City and Boston.

    Gregg Alf - American Violin Maker in Venice, Italy - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2020 55:42


    In part two of my conversation with Gregg Alf, we talk about the day to day life of the violin maker, including the harvesting of tone wood, and what it takes to sell violins in today's world. We also discuss the differences between handmade violins and factory-made violins and Gregg finishes with an unusual story about an antique table and the making of a violin.

    Gregg Alf - American Violin Maker in Venice, Italy - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2020 53:30


    In 2015, Paula and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by visiting the city of Venice. While there, we had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Gregg Alf, one of the most highly respected violin makers in the world today. Steeped in the history of the violin and possessing remarkable violin making skills, Gregg also brings to his work a spiritual sensibility befitting these mysterious and enchanting instruments.  

    Joshua Bell - Violinist

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2020 49:11


    Joshua Bell is one of the most respected solo violinists in the world today. He also serves as the music director of the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields. I interviewed Mr. Bell backstage after he performed a special Mother's Day concert with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

    Tom Barr - Violin Maker, Music Store Owner, and Labor Union Organizer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2020 62:11


    Tom Barr was one of the first people I interviewed for the Rosin the Bow project. He grew up in Grayson County in the mountains of southwestern Virginia where he now makes violins and banjos and runs a music store in the town of Galax with his son Stevie. Tom learned the art of violin making from Albert Hash who taught many violin makers in that part of the Appalachian Mountains. Tom has also worked as a labor union organizer fighting to improve the lives of working people. 

    Stuart Canin- Violinist - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2020 41:46


    In part 2 of my interview with Mr. Canin, he talks about his career in music including auditioning for the San Francisco Symphony and playing for motion pictures in Hollywood. 

    Stuart Canin - Violinist - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2020 47:18


    Stuart Canin is one of the most respected violinists in the world today. I interviewed the 91 year old Mr. Canin at his home in Berkeley, California. Having served as concert master for the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, and numerous film score composers such as John Williams and Randy Newman, Mr. Canin, with a $2 violin, also played his part in world history at the conclusion of World War II. 

    Chris Haddox Tells the Story of a Blind Violin Maker in West Virginia

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2020 59:20


    Chris Haddox is a fiddler, luthier, and professor of environmental studies and West Virginia University. He is also the owner of a violin made in the mountains of West Virginia the early part of the 20th century by a blind violin maker named Tommy Doolittle. Here Chris tells the story about the fiddle and his own experiences being an old-time fiddler.

    The Vettori Family - Three Generations of Italian Violin Makers

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2020 66:01


    In the spring of 2015, Paula and I visited Florence, Italy, to interview a family of violin makers. Paolo Vettori is the patriarch of the family who learned to make violins from his father Dario Vettori. Three of his grown children now also make violins with him in his shop. In this podcast I feature my conversation with Paolo and his son Dario II and daughter Sophia. Spending the day with this lovely lovely family in the beautiful city of Florence was an experience my wife Paula and I will never forget and it is with great pleasure I present this podcast.

    Dmitry Sitkovetsky - violinist-conductor-philosopher

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2020 63:47


    In 2016 I visited Greensboro, North Carolina, to interview Russian-born violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky and attend a special concert featuring Mr. Sitkovetsky and violinist Pinchas Zukerman and his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth. He talked about his famous musical parents, his musical training in the former Soviet Union, his Stradivari violin, and what it takes to find beauty and meaning in life.

    Fan Tao - Violin Strings Expert - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020 40:33


    In part 2 of my interview with Fan Tao, head of research and development for the D'Addario Musical String Company, Fan talks about how his family came to the United States from Taiwan. He also talks about the history of the D'Addario family who came to the United States from Italy at the turn of the 20th century. The interview ends with Fan giving me a tour of the D'Addario factory in Long Island, NY.

    Noel Burke - Irish Violin Bow Maker

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020 65:58


    Noel Burke is one of the world's leading violin bow makers. He is also the younger brother of noted traditional Irish fiddle player Kevin Burke. I visited Noel at his home in County Carlow in Ireland to find out what it takes to become a bow maker and the vital role the bow plays in the making of music.

    Fan Tao - Violin Strings Expert - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2019 59:14


    Fan Tao is head of research and development for the D'Addario Musical Strings Company based in Farmingdale, New York. He is also past president of the Violin Society of America. I interviewed Fan at the D'Addario factory in June, 2015, to learn as much as I could about the history and technology of strings for the violin family of instruments. Here is part one of that interview.

    Joseph Kromholz - Violinist and Teacher

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2019 59:32


    Joseph Kromholz is a violinist and professor of violin and viola at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. I interviewed Mr. Kromholz in the fall of 2015 and we discussed many aspects of playing and teaching the violin, along with the strong connection that exists between the violin and Jewish culture.

    Clay Jenkinson - Thomas Jefferson and the Violin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2019 59:46


    Clay Jenkinson is an acclaimed humanities scholar with a deep knowledge about the life and work of Thomas Jefferson, a paragon of the enlightenment whose many interests and passions included playing the violin. Along with offering a unique perspective on this fascinating part of Jefferson's life, Clay weighs in the cultural and political changes taking place in modern society.

    Kevin Burke- Irish Fiddler - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2019 56:57


    In part two of my interview with Irish fiddler Kevin Burke, we explore the relationship between the violin and the electric guitar. He also talks about how he acquired his violin and his bow, the latter a gift from his brother Noel Burke, a renowned violin maker living in Ireland who I later interviewed. He also reflects on the demands made upon the traveling musician, as well as the rewards.

    Kevin Burke - Irish Fiddler - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2019 51:29


    Kevin Burke has been a mainstay of the traditional Irish music scene since the early 1970s. He has performed with groups such as the Bothy Band, Patrick Street, Celtic Music Festival, and Open House. Born and raised in London, Kevin now lives in Portland, Oregon, where I interviewed him in 2017. In part one of this podcast, he talks about his eccentric classical violin teacher and a chance meeting with Arlo Guthrie in the west of Ireland that led to him recording several fiddle tracks on Arlo's album, Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys, in 1972.

    Yael Rosenblum - Cremonese Violin Maker

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2019 53:17


    In 2015, Paula and I visited Cremona, Italy, the city where the great masters of violin making, Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri, once lived and worked. Thanks to the establishment of a violin making school in Cremona in the 1930s, a hundred and fifty violin makers now call the city their home. Israeli-born Yael Rosenblum is one of the them. She is also a skilled string player and this, along with being a woman, provides her with unique insights into what it means to be a luthier in the world today.

    Pete Sutherland - Old-time Fiddler and Songwriter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2019 53:51


    Vermont-born fiddler and songwriter Pete Sutherland has been a mainstay of the old-time music scene for many years. I first met Pete in the early 1980s when we both served on the faculty of the Augusta Heritage Program in Elkins, WV. I later caught up with him at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA, where we sat down for a chat about the instrument and music we love.

    Eric Funk - A Musician for All Seasons - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2019 46:51


    In this second part of the conversation I had with Eric Funk, he talks about the inspiration and creative process behind his concerto A Violin Alone in which a solo violinist not only plays the part of the violin but uses his instrument to mimic all the other instruments in the orchestra. And there is more philosophy as well concerning the special role music plays in our lives.

    Eric Funk - A Musician for All Seasons - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2019 57:48


    While attending a wedding in Bozeman, Montana, I had the good fortune to interview Eric Funk, musician, conductor, and celebrated composer. Eric is also a professor of music at Montana State University and hosts an Emmy award-winning music and culture program for Montana Public Television.

    David Balakrishnan - Violinist & Composer with Turtle Island Quartet

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2019 48:31


    David Balakrishnan is a gifted violinist and founding member of the Turtle Island String Quartet. He is also a composer who draws upon a variety of musical traditions to create works that are both fresh and enduring. I recorded this interview at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015.

    composer san francisco bay area violinists turtle island quartet david balakrishnan
    Aaron Allen - Impact of Violin Making on the Environment

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2019 62:54


    Aaron Allen is a professor of musicology and environmental studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In this podcast, he looks at the impact instrument making and cultural assumptions about music impact the natural world, the trees, animals, and minerals that make musical instruments possible.

    Michael Gray - Jazz Violinist

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2019 39:48


    Michael Gray is a violinist and composer living in the Pacific Northwest who has performed with the gypsy-jazz inspired combo Pearl Django for many years. I interviewed Michael in 2015 at the Wintergrass Music Festival.

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