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| Before |
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| Rehair Team |
In this global mash-up we now live in, a Caribbean symphony doesn't seem so far-fetched. However, violins and the tropics don't necessarily get along. Steel pan and ukuleles fare much better in the islands than european orchestral instruments because heat, humidity, and termites all conspire to destroy the delicate organic parts. The weakest connection of all is bow hair, which is harvested from the tail of a horse. Even if the hair is unbroken, humidity can soften it until the bow doesn't tighten enough to be useful.
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| After |
As I've been excavating and evaluating scores of broken instruments, My assistant, Runley, and I unearthed a cello case buried beneath boxes and old wood behind the stage. Inside it was filled with instrument bows in various stages of disrepair! Since bows are constantly in demand, and there are no luthiers on the island, we were excited to set about repairing what we could.
Horsehair was ordered from Mongolia, wooden plugs harvested from local trees and tools collected from various hardware stores in Castries. And, last but not least, we needed an expert!
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