ABOUT THE LUTHIER:
NOWA RANDALL CROSBY
Luthier Nowa Randall Crosby is an acomplished violinist and mandolinist. Born in North Carolina, he now lives in rural Vermont, playing original and jazz and Latin music and working as a luthier.
According to Nowa, "Many fellow musicians had expressed their displeasure with the many shapes and uncomfortable playability of the new electric violins. Being a violinist/fiddler, I had many of the same reservations as my compadres. Being a luthier, I had a dream to create something new. Thus followed many years of experimentation and refinement of my ideas."
After developing the prototype Randolin, Nowa traveled to the village of Xeraco, Valencia Province, Spain, to engage the expertise of luthier Batiste Bofi in refining the many steps involved in building the instruments.
The final design of the Randolin is a cooperative effort, sharing ideas and techniques from both sides of the Atlantic, creating a unique instrument that blends the best of the old world and the new.
Nowa lives and work in rural Shelburne, VT with his wife Maria Delia & cat Uling, and is also a father of four and grandfather of four. For the last 15 years he has maintained and run a repair business in Burlington, Vermont with his friends and colleagues at Burlington Guitar and Amp, 202 Main Street. Nowa also teaches music ensemble at the Renaissance School in Shelburne, VT.
ORDAINED PRIEST: VERMONT ZEN CENTER
Nowa is also an ordained priest in the Zen Buddhist Tradition. He studied Zen under his teacher Sunyana Graef Sensei in the past 17 years and has been a practicing Buddhist for over 20 years. On Sept 13, 2009 Nowa received priest ordination. "Nowa" means, "energetic harmony and/or the capacity for peace." He travels with his teacher and Sangha to Canada and Costa Rica, as well as the USA, and been on several pilgrimages to Japan and China.
