During the 2022-2023 season the Bratsche Bunch created a series of three Virtual Field Trips with special guests from around the world. We chose these topics based on our own curiosity, and our love of getting in the weeds! We enjoyed finding people who could create a bridge between music and science.

Below are videos from two of our field trips.

The first video is a fascinating presentation about the field of dendrochronology. Our presenter, Kiyomi Morino, used a case study of verifying the “Messiah” Strad as a way to show the application of dendrochronology to string instrument dating and authentication.

The second video, called “Modern Solutions to an Old Problem” featuring Cameron Robertson and Doug Boomer, explained the physics and acoustical challenges of designing a smaller sized viola for modern players. We also heard from Thomas Dunn about his research into tailpiece resonance and how it can optimize an instrument’s sound.

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