The Man with the Violin at The Bookshelf

Thanks to the great staff at The Bookshelf in Guelph for welcoming me, The Man with the Violin, and three musicians into the store on Saturday.

Starting at 10:45 or so, three students from the Suzuki String School of Guelph played violin to help attract people to the area in the store where a reading of the book would take place. During my reading, each violinist in turn provided musical punctuation at various points in the story, appropriate to the mood of the moment. When the story ended, they kept good feelings going by some lovely Christmas music as I signed books and chatted with people who’d braved the wintry elements to get to the Bookshelf that day.

A huge thanks to musicians, Natasha Gray, Jasmine Weiler, and Liza Zdane for making  the “musical reading” possible.

Thanks also to Paule Barsalou, Artistic Director of the Suzuki String School of Guelph and teacher, Carmen Evans, for agreeing to provide musicians, for working out with me ahead of time how a musical reading could best be co-ordinated, and for choosing the music the girls would play. Thanks to Carmen as well for conducting the musicians at the event itself. It was everything I hoped it would be.

Thanks also to Brigitte Waisberg, Marketing Manager at Annick Press, who went above and beyond the call of duty to drive from Toronto in a snowstorm to help celebrate The Man with the Violin and to ensure there were plenty of books, in the event that half of Guelph turned out for the event.

Thanks to the Guelph Tribune for sending a reporter. I haven’t seen the story yet, but if you check their site, it may be there.

And thanks to everyone else who gathered for the musical reading that day. From preschoolers to senior citizens, I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all!