Violinist Ann Marie Calhoun Endorses Barcus-Berry!

Dec. 12, 2008 - PRLog -- Barcus-Berry, a manufacturer of transducer/preamp systems and acoustic-electric violins, is happy to announce violinist Ann Marie Calhoun as the newest endorser of the Barcus-Berry Chromatic-AE™ Violin in Copper.

After proudly declaring support and sponsorship of Barcus-Berry, Ann Marie Calhoun stated, “The Barcus-Berry Chromatic-AE Violin is really beautiful, the finish is impressive and the set up is great. The violin is very playable and the action on the violin is perfect for both acoustic and electric playing."

Ann Marie Calhoun is a Virginia girl who started on the violin at the tender age of three, and after years of violin lessons, scores of first place trophies at violin and fiddle competitions, a fellowship with the National Symphony Orchestra, a distinguished major in music at the University of Virginia, and performances with a variety of bands and orchestras, Ann Marie decided to be a science and strings teacher at Woodberry Forest School.

As a member of “Old School Freight Train” from 2001-2003, Ann Marie began earning a reputation as a classically trained violinist who could fiddle and improvise with the best. She began working as a commercial studio musician and her band was offered a recording contract with the label owned by country and bluegrass legend “Ricky Skaggs”. After Ann Marie left “Old School Freight Train” to devote more time to teaching, she was invited to play on the “Dave Matthew’s Band” album “Stand Up” and invited to join a North African band called “Kantara” to play Arabic-Appalachian fusion music. After touring Italy and Africa with Kantara, Ann Marie accepted an offer to be a special guest soloist with rock legend Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. Highlights of this year include performing in the Carthage Ampitheatre as a soloist with Kantara and the Vienna House Opera Orchestra, and a performance in Israel with the Ra’anana Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestral Jethro Tull. Performances with Orchestral and acoustic Jetho Tull have taken Ann Marie across America, Scandinavia, and Germany.

Ann Marie Calhoun began to tour with Steve Vai in June 2007. At the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008, was the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest and played live with the Foo Fighters during the broadcast. She has performed with Ringo Starr on Larry King Live, with Widespread Panic multiple times, with the band Switchfoot, on the Craig Ferguson's The Late Late Show, and at the Los Angeles House of Blues. She stepped into the recording studio with The Hooters in late February 2008.

To find out more about Ann Marie Calhoun, visit her websites: http://www.annmariecalhoun.com or http://www.myspace.com/annmariecalhoun

Barcus-Berry products are exclusively distributed by Musicorp and include pickups and preamps for pianos, violins and guitars in addition to the Chromatic-AE™ and Vibrato-AE™ Series Acoustic-Electric Violins. For more information or to order Barcus-Berry products, please call 843-745-8501 or visit http://www.barcusberry.com.

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About Barcus-Berry
Barcus-Berry is a quality manufacturer of acoustic-electric violins and inventor of the first piezo transducer preamp system for guitars, pianos, brass and woodwind orchestral instruments, harmonicas, drums, tap floors and more. Since 1963, Barcus-Berry products have been delivering true reproduction of acoustic sound. Barcus-Berry is used and endorsed by professional musicians, bands and dancers such as Herbie Hancock, Rascal Flatts, Louise Mandrell, The Corrs, Pat Green Band, Clay Walker Band, Tracy Bonham and Broadway performer, Savion Glover. Learn more about Barcus-Berry products and its users at www.barcusberry.com.