Violinist Returns Lowell-Built Violin ‘Home’ to Play at MCC

Violin-maker, or luthier, George E. Bryant believed there was no such thing as a perfect instrument. But violinist Scott A. Noseworthy holds a perfect – for him – violin in his possession, 130 years after Bryant constructed it.

Bryant built the violin in 1889 at his workshop in the then Boston & Maine Railroad Depot. Ownership of the building was transferred to Middlesex Community College in 2008 from the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission. In 2018, the college opened the Richard & Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center.

Middlesex was happy to reunite the instrument with its birthplace. Describing the moment as “fantastic” and “a little surreal,” Noseworthy’s father Scott F. Noseworthy, said, “The college itself is a great facility. I am happy to see that organizations like MCC are willing to invest in the Arts. The quality of the facility is absolutely first rate.”

“It’s wonderful to have this historical connection come back to help us celebrate the reincarnation of this fantastic building,” said MCC’s President James C. Mabry. “Lowell is a city with a rich history and being able to welcome this young violinist and this historic violin back to the Donahue Family Academic Arts Center is a great honor.”

An American Civil War veteran, Bryant lived in Lowell almost his entire adult life. He crafted violins for 45 years. Noseworthy grew up playing violin and now plays in the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra and attends the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Noseworthy was gifted the Bryant violin from a family friend, who had received the instrument as a gift from the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.

“When he received the violin, Scott had been struggling to learn a piece called La Folia by Corelli,” Noseworthy’s father said. “There was a passage in the piece that caused him trouble on nearly every attempt with his student instrument. He had sampled several instruments in an attempt to find a suitable upgrade, but none of them truly felt ‘right.’ The first time he tried the piece on the Bryant instrument was the first time he played it clearly. From that moment, he essentially ‘bonded’ with the instrument.”

Along with the instrument came an appraisal confirming the violin was built by Bryant in 1889. While researching, Noseworthy’s father discovered that the former building in which Bryant worked was now the Academic Arts Center owned by Middlesex. He said, “I felt that this was somehow fitting, considering part of the building had originally been used to support the arts!”

Noseworthy flew from his home in West Allis, Wis., and played the instrument at MCC’s Academic Arts Center on August 7, 2019. His choices – Ashokan Farewell, a piece associated with the American Civil War and the formerly illusive La Folia, for what Noseworthy’s father describes as “recognition of Scott taking ownership of the instrument.” Middlesex was honored to be part of that magical, musical moment.

With the arrival of the Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, came a new sound booth – a perfect addition for students interested in the Technical Theatre Certificate Program. The 18-credit certificate is designed to prepare students for employment in the technical side of performance and entertainment.

Courses include instruction in music technology, computer-aided design, electric circuitry, sound and lighting design, costume construction and safety. Upon completion of the certificate, students are prepared for the workforce or can continue onto a four-year degree.

For more information, visit https://catalog.middlesex.mass.edu/TechTheatre or contact Peter Waldron at waldronp@middlesex.mass.edu. To register for spring-semester courses, go to www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration or call 1-800-818-3434.

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/donations to donate to MCC’s Aspire Campaign to help invest in the arts or make a check out to the MCC Foundation and send it to MCC Foundation, P.O. 8681, Lowell, MA 01853.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!