Anne's Historic Violin commission
The Violin is Done!
Anne's Historic Violin Commission With Luthier Amanda Ewing Complete
Anne commissioned violin luthier Amanda Ewing, a Nashville native, to make her a violin. Amanda is the first Black woman violin maker in the US, officially recognized by the Tennessee State Legislature, making this the first time in U.S. history that a violin commission between two Black professional women- violinist and luthier- has been officially recognized.
Stay tuned for more news as the violin soon makes its public debut!
NPR Host, Debbie Elliott; Anne Harris; Amanda Ewing
NPR Weekend Edition Saturday features Anne Harris & Amanda Ewing
“A violinist, a luthier and the historic commission that brought them together”
DEBBIE ELLIOTT: "The Chicago-based singer-songwriter weaves American folk rock with Afrobeat, soul, blues, Appalachian spirituals, and as you heard just now, when that fiddle wailed, Celtic reels, which brings us to Anne Harris' new instrument. We're talking in an apartment in Nashville - the city where Harris recorded "I Feel It Once Again" - and on the windowsill in its case is that violin. Sitting nearby with us is the woman who made it - Nashville luthier Amanda Ewing."
“I had never in my life questioned the hands of the maker that made my instrument, and it just never occurred to me that they would be hands that would look like mine.” - Anne Harris
Anne Harris debuts her historic violin at the Grand Ole Opry
Performing with Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo'
Anne joined Blues legends, Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo', as they kicked off their TajMo "Room on the Porch" tour with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on May 23, 2025. The Opry performance marked the public debut of Anne's historic violin! The three week tour celebrates the release of TajMo's new record, which quickly topped the Blues charts.
Check out Anne's essay in No Depression magazine about her historic violin commission !
"Sometimes you do a thing because you are called forth to do it. A calling loud enough to override fear. A summoning so insistent that you are blind to reason, common sense, and convention. It leads you beyond permission and the sanction of what’s reasonable, predictable, and “right.” You are beckoned to kneel at the altar of your passion and give yourself up wholly to that thing, casting yourself inevitably into a wild, uncharted place." read more...