The Bowmakers

This documentary film explores the world of the bow and the extraordinary masters who make them. The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello. The film follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world—from the workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.

Cast

Charles Espey Self, bow-maker

Paul Siefried Self, bow-maker

Robert Morrow Self, bow-maker

Ole Kanestrom Self, bow-maker

Cody Kowalski Self, bow-maker

Stéphane Tomachot Self, bow-maker

Joséphine Tomachot Self, bow-maker

Noel Burke Self, bow-maker

Johnny Gandelsman Self, violinist, Brooklyn Rider

Colin Jacobsen Self, violinist, Brooklyn Rider

Nicholas Cords Self, violist, Brooklyn Rider

Michael Nicolas Self, cellist, Brooklyn Rider

Metadata from the source database.