the violin conspiracy by brendan slocumb

When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. But Ray has a gift and a dream-he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out.

“I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit : a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about-in this case, classical music.” -Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch

Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise-undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world-when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.

Brendan believes that everyone can learn to appreciate and love music, and that it can be a new way of communicating, building bonds, and connecting with people who may look, sound, or speak differently.GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! He maintains a private music studio teaching lessons to students on violin, guitar and piano. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. Since then, Brendan has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George's Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. His violin opened the door to opportunity, and he ran through it. When they were breaking into people’s houses, he was practicing Dvorak and Mozart. Friends he grew up with are today sitting in jail when they were out running the streets, he was in rehearsals. When he was nine, he started playing violin through a public school music program. He believes that it’s a life-saving force, and a gift we should always offer our children.

Music has always played a major part of Brendan’s life.

The violin conspiracy by brendan slocumb