Violinist Stefan Jackiw carries on performance when bow breaks

A violinist who travelled from New York to perform in Dorset wowed the audience after he managed to continue his performance despite his £24,000 bow breaking unexpectedly.

Stefan Jackiw was performing in Poole with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) on 10 May when it happened.

He was surprised as he says violin strings usually break, but bows do not.

The broken bow was immediately swapped for a different one and Mr Jackiw carried on as if nothing happened.

He said he would remember his performance of the UK premiere of Glière's violin concerto at the Lighthouse "for the rest of his life".

"At first I didn't quite understand what happened because this is something I had never experienced before," he said.

The bow was made by Francois Nicolas Voirin in Paris in the 19th Century and had been used by Mr Jackiw, 38, for 20 years and thousands of concerts.

After a speedy bow swap with violinist and orchestra leader Amyn Merchant, the show — under the baton of the BSO's chief conductor Kirill Karabits — went on.

When asked how it felt to play with a different bow, Mr Jackiw said: "It's like if you suddenly put on someone else's shoes and then go for a run. They are still shoes but they don't fit you quite the way they used to and they feel very foreign.

"But I got through it and I believe this unexpected episode kind of gave the whole performance some sort of joyful spontaneity."

Dougie Scarfe, the chief executive of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, said it was "an incredible thing to see".

"For something really dramatic to happen and without saying a word to collect and carry on and to perform extraordinarily well under any circumstances was really special," Mr Scarfe added.

It is not known why the bow broke but it is being mended and will soon be returned to Mr Jackiw.

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