Brianna Goldberg began her studies in bow rehair, repair, and making in the French tradition with master bow maker Lynn Hannings at the Violin Craftsman Institute at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire in 2016. Brianna has also studied frog making and advanced bow repair with master bow maker George Rubino at both the Southern California Violin Makers Workshop in Claremont, California, and the Violin Craftsmanship Institute at the University of New Hampshire. In 2018/2019, Brianna worked as a bow specialist at Robert Cauer Violins in Hollywood, California, alongside operating her own business, BG Bows. In 2022/2023, Brianna studied bow making in Tours, France, with additional bow making studies in Sweden with Jordan Scapinello and Ulf Johansson.
Brianna is a proud board member for the International Alliance of Violin and Bow Makers for Endangered Species (https://www.alliance-international.org/). One dollar of every rehair is donated to the Alliance to help with conserving and replanting endangered woods used in bow and instrument making. Brianna is also a member of the Violin Society of America and the International Society of Double Bassists.
Brianna is also a freelance double bassist in the Los Angeles area. She is a member of the Santa Barbara Symphony, and plays with various orchestras around Southern California. She has performed with many orchestras around the country, including the Alabama Symphony, Evansville Symphony (Indiana), Owensboro Symphony (Kentucky), Richmond Symphony (Indiana), Las Vegas Philharmonic (Nevada), Monterey Symphony (California), New Mexico Philharmonic, and served as Principal Bass for two years with the El Paso Symphony (Texas). She has attended summer music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, with three years as a Mentor Fellowship recipient. Brianna has had the opportunity to study with fantastic teachers and mentors, including Bruce Bransby, Al Laszlo, Don Palma, Francis Senger, and Owen Lee. She holds a Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and 1 1/2 Performer Diplomas from Indiana University, all in Double Bass Performance.
Brianna has always enjoyed learning about artistry and craftsmanship in various areas, whether it be reupholstering furniture, sewing, or the fiber arts. She wanted to combine her love for the double bass and music with her love of fine craftsmanship. Brianna also saw that the double bass community as a whole is underserved for bow rehairing. While Brianna works on bows for all stringed instruments, she specializes in double bass bow making, rehair, and repair.
Note from Brianna:
“Welcome to BG Bows! BG stands for Brianna Goldberg, that’s me. I run a one-person shop, like many other violin/bow makers and restorers around the world. When you contact BG Bows (text is best!), I am the one you will speak to. I do all the jobs here- I am the appointment maker, receptionist, bookkeeper, bow maker, rehairer, repairer, janitor, and owner.
I don’t keep set shop hours, I work by appointment only. This is important to me as a one-person shop- I am not stuck sitting in the shop all day when I need to run to the hardware store or other errands. I am also a working double bassist, so I need that flexibility to play gigs, as well.
I do bow making on Tues and Weds, then I schedule rehairs and repairs for Thurs, Fri, and Sat, and the shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays. I don’t work on instruments, only bows.
I do appointments a bit different than some- I generally try to schedule your appointment for the time I have available to work on your bow. This is how I am able to do a lot of same-day rehairs, so you aren’t without your bow for too long. This doesn’t always work as planned, but I try my best. Please let me know how many bows you will be bringing. If you surprise me with extra bows, it maybe awhile before I have the time to work on them!
I use a scheduling app that will send you an email confirmation and reminder, to help keep the appointments on track. If you are running late for your appointment, it’s always best to contact me and I can usually accommodate, even if it means rescheduling.
I look forward to welcoming you into my shop and working on your bows!”