Roland Feller is responsible for the well-being of many of the city's stringed instruments. When you imagine him working on a violin, picture him seated at a tiny old fashioned desk littered with tools and wood shavings, in a room piled with sheet music, billing forms...and violins. Violins hanging on the walls and from the ceiling; violins leaning against the table legs on the floor.

Roland says that the first step to making a really fine violin is to make sure you have good materials. Generally, maple is used for the back, sides and scrolls; ebony or rosewood for fittings; and spruce for the top. The better the quality of wood, the more likely the instrument will age well – which is important, since instruments are used for centuries.

And then there are the strings. Traditionally, strings used to be made out of gut, but it was a problematic material. Any kind of moisture could cause the strings to expand or contract, making the instrument particularly finicky and unreliable. Today, strings are often made of synthetic materials like nylon or Kevlar. Remarkably, other than the change in use of strings, the violin is pretty much made exactly the same as it has been for centuries.

The instrument was first created in the mid 16th century by a man named Andrea Amati in Cremona, Italy. Amati passed down his knowledge to his son Giralamo, who passed it down to his Nicolo, who passed his technique on to his apprentices, one of whom was Antonio Stradivari.

Chances are, you’ve probably heard of the famed ‘Strads’ - approximately 500 of his violins still exist today. These instruments are very valuable indeed; in 2011 a Strad violin named Lady Blunt sold for $15.9 million dollars.

Feller’s first mentor was a man by the name of Simone Fernando Sacconi; considered by many to be the premiere luthier of the 20th century, and a world renowned authority on Strad violins. Under Sacconi's tutelage, Feller made his very first Strad model violin - a violin that went on to win gold in an international competition.

When Feller talks about that violin, or any other instrument on which he’s worked, he speaks as if remembering an old friend. He clearly thinks of the violin as a living, breathing thing – something with a soul.

A visit with the string whisperer

Eric Hannan was only supposed to work as the 81st Avenue Library's Teen Service Director for a few weeks. He ended up staying two years.

"There was a gunshot blast through one of the front windows,” he remembers. “And that was the very first thing I saw when I saw that library." Despite that first impression, Hannan loved his time at the library, and thinks that it is a wonderful place both for staff, and for the young people who came there.

He now works as the Teen Librarian for the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, but says that he cried for weeks when he had to leave Oakland. He shared that story with our Hear Here community storytelling project at the Visatacion Valley branch library in San Francisco.

Click the audio player above to listen to the complete story.

Hear Here is KALW’s local community storytelling project. We seek out the stories of people who live and work in San Francisco and Oakland neighborhoods – and share what we hear on air and online! 

You can also find the project on Facebook and Twitter.

Hear Here: Eric Hannan remembers working at 81st Ave. Library in Oakland

Here at The Litography Project, we really like fog. 

"Fog."

The Search for the Maltese Falcon

The Book Report: Anisse Gross

Hannah's story for KALW for UHS Symposium

Life After The Fire

I made this for Patrick's birthday in January. I'm mainly sharing this so people can hear hilarious messages from Galvins and friends. 

Happy Birthday Patrick!

I took a tour of the Exploratorium's new digs on the Embarcadero. 

Exploratorium opens doors at Pier 15

Angela Johnston and I took a Java tour of the Bay Area...listen as we explore what makes a successful coffee shop, and what makes a good cup of coffee. 

What's your flavor? A coffee tour of the Bay Area

Chris Hoff and I have a great professional relationship. 

Ninna Gaensler-Debs