THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY

JD Jackson richly narrates the story of Ray McMillian, a young, Black man from a poor Southern family who is an unlikely classical violinist. Ray played a pitiful school-owned violin until his grandmother gave him her great-grandfather’s old fiddle, which turned out to be a precious Stradivarius. Jackson describes Ray’s persistent and humbling journey through the cutthroat world of classical music, in which non-whites are often unwelcome. Jackson also shines in depicting Ray’s loving grandmother and his no-nonsense, gracious musical mentor. When Ray’s violin is stolen before the world’s most important competition, he begins a desperate search to recover it. The production is enhanced by brief musical bridges and an insightful epilogue narrated by the author, whose violin career is not unlike Ray’s. N.M.C. 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]