Edmund Bagnell, Singing Violinist Of Well-Strung Fame, Releases New Solo Album 'The Road'

For Edmund Bagnell, who has spent most of the past decade performing around the world as the first violinist and vocalist of the popular singing string quartet Well-Strung, there has been little time for slowing down, despite the global pandemic.

He debuted and toured his first solo live show, He Plays The Violin in 2019 as the inaugural production from New Works Provincetown, the developmental theater lab founded by producer Mark Cortale. Then, when faced with the challenge of being pulled off the road in 2020 (along with every other performer during the Covid crisis) Edmund took the opportunity to record & release his first solo album, Christmas At Home. That project was driven by his heartfelt belief that in 2020 people were looking for any source of happiness... and that included himself. Now, a year later in 2021, after a summer-long outdoor P-Town run of his latest new solo live show Happy Days Are Here Again, his heart is full of gratitude, and his creative floodgates are open.

With his new EP, The Road, Edmund Bagnell combines his years as an actor, singer, violinist, and songwriter. From folk, to standards, and classical music, The Road is a blend of his love for all these genres, and is a personal look into what he loves about making music. In his own words: "The two original songs on the album, The Water and The Road were born out of the pandemic - although lyrically they read as classic love songs, they're also about finding the places that make you feel comfortable when everything else feels so uncertain. That's All is one of my favorite standards from the American songbook, and I wanted to honor the era it comes from with this uptempo arrangement. The song No One Is Alone harkens back to my musical theater roots, and Stephen Sondheim has always been one of my favorite composers in the genre. I was inspired to record this song during Covid when we were all so isolated from each other, and the beautiful melody and lyrics spoke so well to the current mood. Salut D'amour is one of the most beautiful pieces written for the violin, and I had to include it on the EP. While it absolutely exists in the classical music canon, it almost functions as a pop song in that it has a beautiful chorus it returns to time and time again. This structure made it a perfect choice for an album that dips in and out of several different styles. Carolina In My Mind, as native of South Carolina, is a song that has always spoken to me. I love James Taylor's original version, but I wanted to really lean-in to the meaning of the lyrics with this arrangement. There's a lot of longing and reverence in the words, and my hope was to bring that out in this more intimate arrangement featuring just violin, piano, upright bass, and voice."

As BroadwayWorld raved when reviewing Edmond's recent debut solo live performance at Feinstein's/54 Below: "Be it music made with lightning fast fingers on a fiddle, or a honeyed voice of dulcet notes both powerful or peaceful... It is a pleasure to watch this man at work." And indeed, the magic of Edmond's new EP The Road is the extent that it captures all of that virtuosity, versatility, and the big, passionate, powerful heart behind it.

Edmund Bagnell is a diverse artist, having performed as an actor, violinist, singer, and 1st violinist and singer in the internationally touring string quartet, Well-Strung. A native of South Carolina, Edmund was cast as Tobias Ragg during his senior year at NYU in the 1st National Tour of John Doyle's staging of Sweeney Todd. This led to many more performances as an actor in NYC and across the country. In 2012, Edmund became the 1st violinist of the string quartet Well-Strung, which released three chart topping albums in the classical crossover genre. The band had several notable live performances on the Today Show, toured internationally, performed on Broadway and with many notable performers such as Kristin Chenoweth and Audra McDonald, and in 2015 Edmund conceived the viral hit song "Chelsea's Mom." In 2019, Edmund premiered and toured internationally with his solo one man show, He Plays the Violin, to rave reviews. In 2020, he released his first solo album, Christmas at Home, to critical acclaim.

New Album, The Road, is Available Now wherever you stream music.

For more information, and to see Edmund Bagnell live on-stage in 2021-2022 visit https://www.edmund-bagnell.com/.

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