The statistics come from the League of American Orchestras.
As Slocumb explains in his author’s note, fewer than 2% of musicians in U.S. “It really dawned on me that with the world seeing what happened, stories like this one would probably be better received,” Slocumb says.Ĭlassical music can be a difficult environment for musicians of color to thrive. Months later, George Floyd’s murder at the hands of white officers in Minneapolis sparked global protests against police brutality and racism against Black people.
“I’m a songwriter for my band, and that’s about the extent of my writing aside from a horrible manuscript I wrote 20 years ago that I hope no one ever sees,” he says.īooks The 7 best crime novels of the winterĪ Black classical music caper, the creepiest Arctic mystery in decades and LGBT pioneers new and old have made it a chilling season in crime fiction. Slocumb grew up reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries and had always been interested in writing, but being a performer and teacher took priority. He also plays in a rock band called Geppetto’s Wüd. He has taught music to students from elementary through high school for more than 20 years.
After graduating from college with a degree in music education and concentrations in violin and viola, Slocumb played in orchestras throughout northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. For both Slocumb and his character Ray, the violin was a means to escape a challenging childhood and a ticket to college and a professional playing career. Much of the story mirrors Slocumb’s life.īorn in California, Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, N.C., and began playing violin through a public school music program. Then it takes a step back to Ray’s upbringing as a Black teenager in North Carolina and his struggles to play the violin with unsupportive family members, a beat-up school rental instrument and a lack of private lessons. The mystery begins with the violin heist. 23 to discuss his bestselling mystery, which tells the story of Ray McMillian, a gifted violinist whose family violin - a rare Stradivarius - is stolen just before one of the world’s most prestigious classical music competitions. The stolen violin is one of many life experiences Slocumb drew upon to write his debut novel, “The Violin Conspiracy.” He joins the L.A. “It was supposed to be my ticket to success and it was gone. Slocumb had the 1953 Eugene Lehman violin for less than a year and hoped it would take him through college and into his professional playing career. “I looked for a third time and it wasn’t there.” Slocumb, who had been playing violin since he was 9, went immediately to the hiding spot under his bed. In his senior year of high school, Slocumb’s family found their home ransacked after a trip to an amusement park. Even though it’s been more than 30 years, author Brendan Slocumb still feels the heartbreak of his stolen violin.
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