Orchestra who lost conductor to cancer is gifted violin bow, made from chemo patient’s hair

28 July 2023, 14:15

The bow debuted in the hands of the concertmaster of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec; an orchestra that lost its guest conductor to cancer last year.

A cancer patient in Canada made an incredibly personal donation to Québec’s symphony orchestra on the anniversary of their guest conductor’s death one year ago.

Bramwell Tovey, guest conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, passed away on 12 July 2022 after living with a rare form of sarcoma for three years.

Karine, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment herself for cancer, lost her hair and decided to donate the locks for the creation of an extraordinarily unique violin bow to be used by the orchestra.

Violin bows are usually made of horsehair, but according to the luthier, the two are “pretty similar” (watch in the video below). Karine’s locks were used to hair a bow which was then presented to the concertmaster of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

The concertmaster, Catherine Dallaire, debuted the ‘Bow of Hope’ at a performance on 12 July 2023, the one-year anniversary of Tovey’s passing. The concert, which was attended by over 1,200 people, raised money for the Quebec Cancer Foundation in memory of Tovey.

Watch the moving story behind the bow’s creation below, and hear what the violin sounds like when it is played with hair from an incredibly brave and strong woman.

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Woman with cancer in Quebec donates hair to make special bow for violin

The moving video introduces us to Karine, a woman living with cancer who has decided to donate her hair for the creation of this touching bow.

“With the chemo treatments, I lost my hair,” Karine said in the video. “For me, this is probably the most difficult step to accept. I wanted the cause to be heard so I donated my hair to make a really special bow.

“Knowing that a part of me and my struggle will be heard in concert, touches me and fills me with pride.”

It is clear just how much having a part of herself and her journey on stage means to Karine as the camera captured a few tears on her cheek as she watched Dallaire’s performance of an excerpt from Bach’s Partita No. 2.

The stirring solo work, which composer Clara Schumann once described as “a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings”, was the perfect piece to premiere such a poignant bow.

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Director of marketing and communications for the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Carl Langelier said that “Maestro Tovey would have been very touched” by Karine’s donation.

“Music is so emotionally moving,” Langelier added.

“‘The Bow of Hope’ shows how music can transform a difficult event into a powerful instrument of courage and hope.”