James “Hutch” Hutchinson is respected far and wide for his musical versatility and long experience playing with top-tier acts.
NS Design
NS iNSight – Chats With Champions – Ned Steinberger
NS Design’s founder and instrument designer Ned Steinberger was invited as a featured speaker at the Skidompha Library “Chats With Champions” series this past month in co-sponsorship with Sherman’s Bookstore in Damariscotta, Maine.
The Levin Brothers Band on tour!
The Levin Brothers Band are on tour now. With bassist Tony Levin and his brother Pete Levin on keyboard along with fellow bandmates sax player Erik Lawrence and drummer Jeff “Siege” Siegel, the band have select dates on the U.S. East Coast and in South America this Spring.
NS Artist Abi Loutoo – Fusing Music and Dance with her NXTa Cello
NS Artist Abi Loutoo is a prodigious cellist and multidisciplinary artist. Her performances combine movement and music with an energy that excites the eye, ear and heart. At only five years old, after piano failed to spark her interest, Abi started playing the cello. Within five years she had played for Robert Cohen and appeared […]
Watching for Foxes – Spring Tour 2017
NS Cellist Geoffrey Kartes leads Michigan’s indie-rock outfit Watching for Foxes on the 2017 Spring Tour supporting their debut album “Undone Bird.” “Watching For Foxes make every song feel like it’s that half-triumphant, half-weary, all-around cathartic march up the hilly knoll towards the unknowable-yet-still-hope-splashed horizon, as if every song were the build up to the […]
NS Artist Jacob Collier recieves two Grammy Awards.
Congratulations to NS Artist Jacob Collier on his 2017 Grammy Awards. Jacob was awarded 2017 Grammy Awards in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category for “You And I” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier) and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for “Flintstones” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier).
NS Violinist Kate Liebisch “Umbriel” with Winterhymn releases a Mighty single
“Dream of Might” is the newest release by Winterhymn from their current album Blood & Shadow. It is a thrilling metal epic that ardent fans of progressive metal will love. Featuring NS Design Violinist Umbriel (aka Kate Liebisch) this driving masterpiece “weaves soaring, epic, majestic progressive pagan folk metal elements with haunting violin and symphonic melodies.” […]
NS Design announces the new NXTa Active series.
The NXT Series Goes Active and Stays Green! With the launch of the new NXTa series, Ned Steinberger and NS Design herald the introduction of battery-free, high performance active electronics for the full family of NXT instruments. These include the violin, viola, cello, Omni bass and double bass. The new capacitor-powered custom circuitry, designed for […]
Confessions of an NS Design-Loving Traditionalist
Convenience is an idol, and I have no desire to worship at its altar. I don’t own an iPod, I prefer my 78 RPM records played on my vintage tube phonograph. I don’t own a coffee maker, I would rather use my french press, or better yet, I would rather make a cup of […]
NS iNSight – A Perfect Fit
Music instrument aesthetics are rarely, if ever, considered from a scientific point of view. Yet for industrial designers and architects, form must meet function. And there is a lot of science and technology to apply in this way. While technique for playing bass is often the subject of passionate discussion, and there are varying […]
NS Insight: Highs & Lows
NS Insight: Highs & Lows There’s a reason why professional bass players love the big, punchy low end and the glistening highs & harmonics of an NS Bass. Here’s what’s going on: Human hearing is naturally strong in the mids (roughly between 1 and 5 kHz, the vocal frequency range), but drops off at higher […]
Electric Strings Seminar at Northwestern High School, Rock Hill, SC
On October 25, 2014, I headed down to Rock Hill, SC, to work with the orchestra students at Northwestern High School. Their teacher is Marsha Gross and she had recently invested in a quintet of electric stringed instruments to use as part of her recruiting and retention efforts for the orchestra program at the school. […]
10 Practical Strategies at ASTA
Back in the middle of March, I had the opportunity to present an educational session to attendees of the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Louisville. The session, entitled, “10 Practical Strategies for Incorporation Electric Bowed Strings into the Music Classroom,” is designed to give teachers some simple ideas for getting your string players’ […]
The NS WAV Violin at Marshall Music Co. in Traverse City, MI
Hi all – I am conducting again this summer in Michigan at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. It has been a great start to the summer and we are looking forward to lots of good times and music this summer. I had a chance to play my CR Violin for an art exhibit […]
Thom Sharp’s Nanigo with Solo Electric Violin
Hey all – For you string teachers out there: How about trying the tune based on West African rhythms called Nanigo, by Thom Sharp (Latham Music) with percussion section and electric violin? I did this piece at Interlochen last week and it was a huge […]
Concert Day!
It is Wednesday, July 27, 2011 and I have my first concert performance today at Interlochen Summer Music Camp with the Intermediate Concert Orchestra. It has been a great 9 days of teaching and rehearsing and I can truly say that my ensemble is ready for their performance. We finally had a rehearsal in the […]
CR Violin in hotel room
Hey all – Just a quick note to remind everyone how handy it is to travel with a CR Violin for practice in hotel spaces. I am on the road with my family – heading up to Interlochen, MI to conduct for a few weeks and my 14 year old son will be attending the […]
Strings Without Boundaries
Hi All. On Tuesday, June 28, I was in Pittsburgh, PA, at Duquesne University, representing NS Design at the Strings Without Boundaries Workshop. This is a great workshop each summer and I was really pleased to be there. As part of the day, I gave 3 presentations. First, I had the opportunity to speak with […]
Great week at ASTA in Kansas City
This week, I have been at the American String Teacher’s National Conference in Kansas City. It has been a fabulous week of instructional seminars, exhibits, and networking for string educators and students around the from around the United States and even some from around the world. Electric bowed strings are always a big part of […]
Theresa Jenkins-Russ and Carolina Cool Jazz Orchestra
Here at NS Design, we are really pleased to welcome Theresa Jenkins-Russ as a pioneer in our NS Design Artist/Educator program. Theresa is a string and orchestra teacher in the Spartanburg, SC School District, Artistic Director of the Carolina Cool Jazz Orchestra, and President-Elect of the South Carolina Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. […]
Midwest Clinic Notes – Tuesday
Hi all. Today, I am the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. It is one of the largest annual gatherings of music educators and music companies. If you are a music educator and have never been to this event, it is really worth the effort to get here at some point. The string education sessions began this […]