Dean Shostak is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

crystallophone A crystallophone is a musical instrument that produces sound from glass. One of the best known crystallophones is the glass harmonica, a set of rotating glass bowls which produce eerie, clear tones when rubbed with a wet finger. Musical glass ...

-player and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist. He regularly performs his Crystal Concerts which consist of music played on his glass instruments, such as the glass violin, the

glass armonica The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instrument that uses a ...

, and the crystal handbells.

Personal life

Shostak began performing at age 14 in

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location ...

in the Music Teacher's Shop. He earned a B.A. in Music from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

and learned to play the pocket or

kit violin The pochette is a small stringed instrument of the bowed variety. It is essentially a very small violin-like wood instrument designed to fit in a pocket, hence its common name, the "pochette" (French for ''small pocket''). Also known as a pocket ...

and the

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a vi ...

. In 1991 he became involved in the revival of the glass armonica. He has performed throughout the United States and his music has been featured in notable programs such as

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's ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', BBC's '' Good Morning Television'', and ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' deb ...

''. He has also written original scores for films for the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

, City of Chattanooga,

State of Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and the

Norfolk Botanical Garden The Norfolk Botanical Garden (158 acres) is a botanical garden with arboretum located at 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, Virginia. History The Norfolk Botanical Garden was founded through the collaboration between Norfolk City Manager Thoma ...

. Shostak currently lives in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...

with his wife Valerie, and they have two daughters, and one son.

Discography

* ''Crystal Carols'' (1994) * ''Crystal Christmas'' (1995) * ''Celtic Crystal'' (1997) * ''Colonial Fair'' (1999) * ''Davy Crockett's Fiddle'' (2002) * ''18th Century Mother Goose Songs'' (2002) * ''The Glass Armonica'' (2004) * ''Crystal Christmas'' (2005) * ''World of Glass'' (2008) * ''Crystal Carols 1 and 2'' (2010)

Instruments

Glass armonica The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instrument that uses a ...

: Shostak is one of only eight glass armonica players in the world. * Glass

: Shostak owns one of only two glass violins in the world-the other belongs to

Ikuko Kawai (born January 19, 1968, Takamatsu), is a classically trained Japanese violinist and composer. Early life and education Among Kawai's favorite childhood memories are going to the cinema with her father Kiyoshi; she was captivated by film's soun ...

. The violin was created for him by the Hario Corporation. * Cristal Baschet: Shostak plays one of only two cristal baschets in the United States. * Crystal Handbells: Shostak worked with Malmark Handbell Company in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, which provided the handles and

clapper Clapper or Clappers may refer to: Miscellaneous *Clapper, part of a bell *Clapper (musical instrument), consisting of two pieces of wood struck together *Clapper bridge, an ancient form of bridge * Clapper Post, urban postal service of Vienna (XV ...

s for the bells, and also with Thomas Hession, who created the glass bells, to create the first glass English handbells. * Glass Bowed

Psaltery A psaltery ( el, ψαλτήρι) (or sawtry, an archaic form) is a fretboard-less box zither (a simple chordophone) and is considered the archetype of the zither and dulcimer; the harp, virginal, harpsichord and clavichord were also inspired by ...

: Jim Doble created the instrument at Shostak's request. *

Grand Harmonicon Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

( Glass harp): Shostak acquired this instrument at an auction; it has survived since the 1820s.

References

External links

Dean Shostak's Bio Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shostak, Dean Living people American multi-instrumentalists American male violinists American folk musicians Glass harmonica players Year of birth missing (living people)