The ArcRest
Aaron Bailey
Aaron Bailey graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2005 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He is currently working in the telecommunications industry in Rochester, NY. From a young age, he enjoyed tinkering and has always wanted to be an engineer (except for that stint when he wanted to be a comedian). He lives in the Rochester, NY area with his wife, daughter, and son. Growing up in the small town of Baker City, Oregon, he was pretty much the lone string player in his age group. Starting with the Suzuki method at the age of three and continuing lessons through his freshman year of high school, he learned to play a variety of styles, from classical, to fiddle, and even some show tunes. In college, he joined the student orchestra at the Rochester Institute of Technology, becoming the concertmaster in his final year of school. Since college, he has joined the Brighton Symphony Orchestra in Brighton, NY, and is part of the Rococo Project, a period string quartet performing pieces from the early Classical Era on period proper instruments. The Rococo Project, especially, has given him a unique insight into proper technique for holding the violin. He teamed up with Tigran in 2012 to improve his sound and technique through private tutelage. In 2015, he came up with what would become the ArcRest and has been the force behind the technical development, working tirelessly to improve the design and function.
https://thearcrest.comTigran Vardanyan
Tigran Vardanyan is from Yerevan, Armenia and is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since 1998 and also teaches violin at Nazareth College. He became a US citizen in 2009 and lives in Rochester, NY with his wife and son. As a young boy, Tigran was a winner of many competitions and awards, such as the First Prize in the 1991 and 1993 Armenian National Competitions, and the Gold Medal in the 1992 Amadeus Competition for Young Artists. He performed as a soloist with the Armenian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Armenian Chamber Orchestra, and the Armenian TV and Radio Orchestra. Tigran continues to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in addition to his career with the RPO and as a teacher. He has been featured playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and regularly travels to other concert venues to perform concertos and solo recitals. Tigran performs on a beautiful violin by Francesco Gobetti (Venice, ca.1720). Tigran takes great pleasure in the process of being a violinist. He is in a constant search for the best fingering, bowing or playing position, or figuring out the most effective way to solve violin problems. He is very happy to have met Aaron whose engineering knowledge and creativity helped him materialize the idea of creating the best shoulder pad possible. Tigran provided the inspiration for the creation of the ArcRest and was the driving force in refining the design for maximum comfort and aesthetics. He has been a champion for the spread of its use and benefits to the user, in sound, comfort, and increased mobility.
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What inspired you to make this project?
After experimenting with many configurations of shoulder pads, Tigran and I found ones we liked (I was taking violin lessons from Tigran at the time). At one lesson, Tigran mentioned how the pad we were using damped the sound of the instrument and lamented how nice it would be to be able to do something about it. I started tinkering and came up with what would be the first prototype of the ArcRest. Originally intended only for us, a few of Tigran's colleagues in the RPO noticed his shoulder pad and asked us to make some for them. It was then we realized the idea might garner a following far beyond us, so we began working to refine the product and make it both attractive as well as manufacturable.