Fred Carpenter
Fred Carpenter started violin lessons at 7, and after 10 years of classical study made the move to fiddle playing. He spent the next few years studying fiddlers like Kenny Baker, Vassar Clement, and Byron Berline, to name a few. Fred also travelled across the country placing well in several National fiddling contests. In 1980 Fred moved to California to join the Tony Rice Unit, touring and recording for the next three years. While in California, Fred served as an apprentice for four years at Loveland Violin Shop, where he learned the proper methods of set up, repair, and bow work. Fred left California in 1985, played fiddle for 2 years with The Dillards, and moved to Nashville in 1987. Over the next 4 years Fred toured with several artists including Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Milsap, Suzi Bogguss, Paul Overstreet, George Strait, and for the last 20 years, Kathy Mattea. As the founder of The Violin Shop and an owner for 30 years, Fred now enjoys *not* being an owner, allowing much more time to play music and play this those Grandkids!
David Goad
Originally from Irving Texas, David has been working in music since 2001. He got his start in the trade with Brook Mays Music in Dallas, Texas, then journey north to Chicago in 2006 where he worked at A440 Violins until 2012. In 2012 David relocated to Seattle, Washington where he worked at David T Stone Violins until opening his own shop - which he ran from 2016 to 2022. David is very happy to now be with The Violin Shop working as a luthier in the workshop. In his spare time, David also does a bit of instrument making, and enjoys smoking various types of meats and taking long walks in nature.
April Campbell
Growing up, April watched her father (Fred Carpenter) build The Violin Shop into Nashville’s most reliable resource for fiddle players. Now serving as Director of Administration, April handles all of the day to day operations around the shop. Her numerous responsibilities at The Violin Shop include inventory ordering and management, customer account relations and correspondence, rental program administration, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, and daily financial management. April currently resides south of Nashville with her husband Michael and their two children, Elliott & Sutton.
Jennifer Halenar
Jennifer Halenar is a Tennessee native, hailing from Chattanooga, is a Belmont University alum and has worked in the violin trade since 2002. After apprenticing under John Dailey, a fine maker of violins, violas and celli, Jennifer continued to learn and build and restore on her own. She has further honed her skills through attending various workshops including Learning Trade Secrets, the Oberlin Violin Making and Restoration summer workshops presented by the Violin Society of America. Jennifer is one of our staff luthiers and when she isn’t working on customer or shop instruments, she is building her own 4 and 5-string violins, and violas. She plays fiddle and sings with the folk-country band, Lynn Taylor and the BarFlies and can often be found playing in Irish sessions around town. Fun facts: Jennifer can hula-hoop and fiddle at the same time, and has an affinity for Border Collies.
Leanna Price
An Ohio native, Leanna, along with her twin sister Lauren, grew up listening to her family when they’d gather in the kitchen of her grandparents’ old farmhouse to sing as her dad accompanied old country tunes on his guitar. Around the age of ten Leanna decided to begin learning the fiddle, and eventually went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Traditional Music Studies from Morehead State University in Eastern Kentucky. Leanna is the Rental Manager for The Violin Shop, tending to the upkeep and maintenance of student rental instruments, and assists in facilitating front of house and sales duties. In addition to her work with the renters, Leanna is an apprentice of violin setup and repair with Brian Christianson. An accomplished fiddler herself, when Leanna isn’t at the shop, you can find her alongside her twin sister Lauren, fronting their five-piece band, The Price Sisters.
Steven Bowman
Born and raised in Tennessee, Steven has played violin since the age of 9, when he was given the opportunity to study after years of listening to bluegrass and Celtic music with his family. Steven has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Memphis and has spent the better part of 2 decades working in the music industry as a performer, writer/arranger, producer, manager, and teacher. He has founded and co-led two different touring indie bands, and has performed with artists including Ron Block, Josh Turner, Keith Burns, Shari Rowe, Mitch Rossell, The Annie Moses Band, For King & Country, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Steven is the Marketing Director for The Violin Shop, where he gets to combine his creativity and love for music with his ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. Steven manages the shop’s social media and web-sites, and helps strategize new ways for The Violin Shop to reach the Nashville strings community. He currently resides in Nashville with his adopted border collie/cattle dog mix Parker, and he enjoys a good coffee and discussing films when he isn’t fiddling.
Zach Miller
Raised in Maryville, Tennessee, Zach recently joined the shop after completing his bachelor's degree in Knoxville. Zach started playing guitar in the 2nd grade, picking up the violin at age 10 in his local public school music program, and playing viola in his undergraduate. Lately, Zach has most enjoyed performing chamber music, orchestral music, and everything else Nashville has had to offer. His most recent performances have included shows with the Knoxville Symphony, various Belmont University ensembles, and recordings with Darius Rucker. As a member of the Front of House staff, Zach's responsibilities include greeting customers, processing payments, stocking inventory, general upkeep, sales, and spending time with all the amazing instruments in the shop. Zach is currently a graduate student at Belmont University studying audio engineering. Outside of music, Zach enjoys exploring the city, watching football, and powerlifting.
Collins McLaughlin
Collins, a native Texan, moved to Nashville in 2020 after accepting a position in Sammy Kershaw’s band on fiddle and mandolin. He tours the country year round with the group and other artists (Aaron Tippin, and Collin Raye) while staying very active in the recording scene as a session violinist, string arranger, composer, and string educator. Collins started at TVS in September of 2022 as a front of house team member and loves getting to know all of the instruments and bows we have here in the shop. He lives with his wife, Rylan, and their two French Bulldogs, Oliver and Gus, in Madison, TN.
Patrick M’Gonigle
Patrick M’Gonigle began playing violin at the age of 7 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He studied classically with Suzuki-trained violin teacher Yasuko Eastman in Victoria, BC and during this time won several awards for his classical music as both a soloist and member of several String Quartets and small ensembles. After several years of touring in Canada with an acoustic dance band, Patrick moved to Boston in 2008 to study at the Berklee College of Music. Upon graduation in 2013, he immediately began a Masters degree in Music from the New England Conservatory, graduating Summa Cum Lauda in 2015 with a performance degree from the Contemporary Improvisation department. In 2012 Patrick formed the Lonely Heartstring Band, a modern acoustic string-band quintet that was awarded a “Momentum Award” of “Best New Band” by the International Bluergass Music Association (IBMA) in 2015. Patrick currently lives in Nashville when he isn’t touring, and works in sales at The Violin Shop.