“A maestro of musical mystery…Slocumb’s writing is invigorating, and the detail in his character work makes the main characters in both time periods easy to root for…. Thrilling.”
—The New York Times
Join us for an evening with bestselling author Brendan Slocumb. His debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, is a Good Morning America Book Club selection and was honored as a Best Mystery Book of the Year by The Washington Post, and a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Goodreads. His second book, Symphony of Secrets, was released in April 2023.
Brendan Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He holds a degree in music education, with concentrations in violin and viola, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For the past two decades, he has taught music at public and private schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, teaching general music, orchestra, and guitar ensembles. His students were often chosen for district and regional orchestras. In 2005, Brendan was named Teacher of the Year for Robert E. Lee High School; he has been named to Who’s Who of American teachers, and is a Nobel Teacher of distinction. Brendan also serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Music has always played a major part of Brendan’s life. He believes that it’s a life-saving force, and a gift we should always offer our children. When he was nine, he started playing violin through a public school music program. Friends he grew up with are today sitting in jail; when they were out running the streets, he was in rehearsals. When they were breaking into people’s houses, he was practicing Dvorak and Mozart. His violin opened the door to opportunity, and he ran through it. Since then, Brendan has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George's Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. He maintains a private music studio teaching lessons to students on violin, guitar and piano. Brendan believes that everyone can learn to appreciate and love music, and that it can be a new way of communicating, building bonds, and connecting with people who may look, sound, or speak differently.
Find Brendan Slocumb books at the library »
Both locations will close at 5 pm to prepare. Doors open at 6:30 pm at the Main Library exclusively for this event.
Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow Brendan Slocumb's presentation.
Brendan Slocumb Great Author Visit:
Part of the Great Authors at the Library series. Made possible with support from the Library Foundation.
Our beautiful, state-of-the-art Main Library opened on January 6, 2008. You’ll find a wide variety of books, movies, and music, as well as free events for all ages. Looking for tech options? We offer free Wifi, dozens of public computers with internet access, and public meeting rooms.
