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About Us

How We Found Our Tune

When Alex Spainhour and I opened Bernhardt House of Violins in 2003 we recognized the need for an opportune shop in the upstate specializing in string instruments. We wanted to share our combined 60 plus years of experience with the local musicians from beginners to professionals. Bernhardt has been and is able to provide our customers with quality instruments, string accessories, sheet music, school services, appraisals, and repair/restoration.

-Joyce V. Miller, Owner

Meet the Team

Joyce V. Miller Owner

String Specialist, Appraisers Association of America, Inc, The Violin Society of America

Daniel Miller

Shop Manager, Bow Maker, Instrument Repair and Restoration

Denise Thompson

 Manager, Bookkeeper, HR

Celeste Ruiz-Sarmiento

Sales Associate

Jake Fowler  

Rental Instrument Technician

Judi Bagnato

Assistant Manager, Music Librarian

Jenna Lindstrom

Sales Associate

Karen Casio

Office Assistant

Katie Faucette

Rental Accounts Manager

Matthew Upton

Rental Instrument Technician

McKenzie Hare

Sales Associate

Rachel Urban

Social Media Specialist

Robin Cheezum

Instrument Repair Technician

Sarah Buntele

School Coordinator

Proud Member & Supporter of

Contact Us

We'd love to see you! Come and visit our showroom to find the instrument that will advance your playing to the next level.

Making an appointement will ensure our strings specialists are available to assist with choosing the perfect instrument for you.

Contact Us Today

Joyce Miller

Owner, String Specialist, Appraisers Association of America, Inc, The Violin Society of America

After working in retail music stores in Greenville and Anderson for over 10 years Joyce Miller saw the need of having a shop centrally located and easily accessible to string students, teachers and players in Upstate South Carolina.

Joyce’s retail experience includes buying and selling string instruments for Bernhardt House of Violins in Greenville, SC, and Draisen Edwards Music Center in Anderson, SC. Experience purchasing from makers and distributors in Germany, Italy, South America, China, and the United States has given Joyce a broad knowledge of the string instrument market.

After being challenged to expand her expertise at conferences and from peers, Joyce traveled to auctions and shops, and visited makers in the U.S. and Europe to study instruments and build recognition skills.

Joyce is a member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), having passed their Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and the Theory and Methodology Certification courses. Joyce is one of the few appraisers in AAA who specialize in string instruments.

Recognized for experience and expertise, Joyce has led seminars on identifying quality instruments to teachers at educators’ conventions in Georgia and South Carolina, and to middle and high school music students.

Joyce has been a teacher, player, strings retailer and service person. She maintained her own studios for a number of years and has started strings and orchestra programs in schools in Florida, and South Carolina. She holds a Masters degree in Secondary Music from Jacksonville University, and a Masters degree in Viola Performance from Bob Jones University. Joyce has been a student of Aaron Krosnick, Robert Billups, Joan Mulfinger, and Jay Pinner. She has played in Terre Haute Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Greenville Symphony, and Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium Chamber Orchestra.

Research in string instrument appraising and identification evolved into a Masters’ thesis entitled A GUIDE TO STRING INSTRUMENT IDENTIFICATION AND APPRAISING. This thesis was submitted by Joyce to The Faculty of Bob Jones University in candidacy for the degree of Master of Music in 2009.

Joyce also contributed to an edited volume for the Appraisers Association of America: Miller, Joyce 2013. String Instruments. In W. Garrett, H. Fendelman, D. Gallager, J. Jacob, and L. Bench (eds). Appraising Art: The Definitive guide to Appraising the Fine and Decorative Arts.Appraisers Association of America: 414-17

Joyce has served on the board of The Violin Society of America (VSA). Her four year term ended November 2018 at the 46th Annual Convention & 23rd International Competition held in Cleveland, Ohio. One of the founders of The VSA’s Women in Business Luncheon, Joyce has engaged speakers Marilyn Wallin, award winning violin maker, and Annie Fullard and Mari Sato of the Cavani String Quartet.

Daniel Miller

Bow Maker . Instrument Repair and Restoration

The instrument and bow are more than tools to perform a piece of work, they are an extension of the performer through which music is interpreted and the art of both the composer and musician are expressed. The instrument and bow are personal. Because they are personal, a musician needs a trustworthy caretaker when maintenance, repair, or restoration are required.
As a musician of over twenty years and restorer/bow maker with fourteen years of professional experience, Daniel Miller understands the unique position he holds as a caretaker for both instruments and bows. He has developed his skills in such a way that he is able to hear what the musician hears when an instrument is not producing the tone it is capable of or the bow is not releasing the notes from the instrument as it should. Holding a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from North Greenville University, the rigorous training he received in the English department equipped him with the ability to think both critically and creatively when faced with solving problems in repair and restoration. He also studied ceramics and sculpture while in university, which trained his eye to see when looking for those problem areas that require repair or restoration.
He has trained under Lynn Hannings at the University of New Hampshire in both bow making and repair, Jerry Pascewicz and David Orlin at Oberlin College and Conservatory in bow restoration, and Joshua Henry in both bow making and restoration; and, he continues to study and learn from other professionals, believing that it is essential for growth and the ability to apply his skills in the most beneficial way possible for the discerning musician.

Denise Thompson

Manager.Bookkeeper.HR

In August 2003 Denise Thompson joined Joyce Miller in opening Bernhardt House of Violins. Her longevity with the company has allowed her to do almost every job and understand the ins and outs of the retail music industry. As store supervisor she enjoys working with her incredibly talented coworkers and using her creativity to help Bernhardt House of Violins perform with utmost efficiency. When she isn’t managing the store, she enjoys spending time with her family.

Celeste Ruiz-Sarmiento

Sales Associate

Growing up, Celeste’s parents always had a different genre of music playing throughout the house, instilling a love for music in her at a young age. After briefly playing the piano as a child, her love for music grew even more once she joined her middle school’s band as a percussionist. Playing a multitude of drums, auxiliary instruments, and keyboard instruments, Celeste went on to perform in her middle and high school’s honor band as well as the marching band. Playing the marimba in marching band is one of her favorite memories to look back on. Currently, Celeste is working on getting a degree in Human Services. In her free time she enjoys going to concerts, playing video games, anything to do with art, and spending time with her cat, Freddie Mercury. 

Jake Fowler

Rental Instrument Technician 

Bassoonist Jake Fowler has been regarded by American Conductor Mark Powell as possessing “deeply committed musical eloquence tied to singularly mad technical skills.” In addition to serving as 3rd Bassoon & Contrabassoon with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Fowler has performed alongside such organizations as The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Nashville Symphony, The Richmond Symphony, The Charlotte Symphony and The New World Symphony. Fowler attended the Eastman School of Music for his Bachelor’s as well as his Master’s Degrees where he was also unanimously awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. While at Eastman, Fowler had the privilege of winning the Eastman School Concerto Competition and performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with orchestra. He also appears on various Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings that are commercially available wherever you enjoy listening to music. His education was deeply driven by his time studying under the mentorship of Professor George Sakakeeny. During the summers, Fowler spends much of his time teaching as well as attending festivals such as the Artosphere Festival Orchestra comprised of hand-picked musicians from symphony orchestras all across the United States. 

When he isn’t performing or working at Bernhardt, Jake enjoys playing tennis, reading a good book, and spending time with his friends and family. 

Be sure to ask when you can spot Jake next as a musical guest in our very own Greenville Symphony Orchestra!

Judi Bagnato

Assistant Manager. Music Librarian

Judi Bagnato is Assistant Manager and Music Librarian for Bernhardt House of Violins. She is responsible for ordering and displaying the music, keeping up on new music, and overseeing the retail staff.

Prior to joining Bernhardt Judi was an editor for Warner Bros. Publications and then Alfred Music Publishing managing the entire Summy-Birchard catalog, which included the Suzuki Method materials and the Frances Clark Music Tree Piano Method. She supervised the International Suzuki Violin, Cello and Piano committees when they were revising the core method books and recordings. Judi also worked closely on the Music Tree revisions.

When Judi is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, their dog and watching movies.

Jenna Lindstrom

Sales Associate

Jenna has always had a deep love for music, whether she was singing oldies in the car with her dad or playing her violin.  She took private lessons for years and played in the Carolina Youth Symphony. Jenna has a creative spirit that shines through in all areas of her life. For over fifteen years, she excelled as a master stylist and colorist. Family means the world to her, including her beloved cat, Bleu.

 

Karen Casio

Office Assistant

In 2021 Karen Casio joined Bernhardt House of Violins as an Office Assistant and later moved into Collections. Her retail experience coupled with empathy assists in maintaining company profits. She extends her support by accepting new challenges and helping co-workers when additional hands are needed.

From her youth Karen enjoyed playing the organ, piano and violin as well as participating in music ministries at church. When not working, her pastimes include reading, writing, healthy cooking and being with friends and family.

Katie Faucette

Rental Accounts Manager

Katie Faucette began her career at Bernhardt in 2011. She started as a Sales Associate, but with time her focus moved to rentals. With her attention to detail, she customized Bernhardt’s rental program procedures. She helped launch the online rental program and now oversees all online rentals and payments. Over the years Katie has enjoyed playing the violin, ukulele, and guitar. When Katie isn’t working, she is spending time with her husband and 2 children.

Matthew Upton

Instrument Repair Technician

Matthew proudly joined Bernhardt House of Violins in August 2023 as an Instrument Repair Technician.  Having played guitar for over 20 years, he has a deep understanding of stringed instruments.  He also plays bass guitar, drums, and the synthesizer.  He enjoys writing and playing music with his friends, cooking and spending time with his family and their two cats, Gizmo and Mizmo.  When he’s not repairing one of your instruments,  he’s probably working on one of his.

McKenzie Hare

Sales Associate

McKenzie began working at Bernhardt in 2024 as a sales associate. Her love for classical music began at a young age after attending live performances of John Williams and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Enraptured by the violin, she started taking lessons in elementary school, soon adding piano lessons as well. McKenzie later developed a passion for the visual arts and earned degrees in Fine Arts and Graphic Design. When she’s not at Bernhardt, McKenzie enjoys serenading her cats on the piano, taking portrait painting commissions, and attending concerts with friends.

 

Rachel Urban

Office Assistant 

Rachel has loved music for as long as she can remember. She began playing the piano as a small child and as a teenager began violin lessons – falling completely in love with playing and performing. Life has taken her many directions and while many interests have come and gone – from dog grooming to French pastry – music has always been a big part of her life. Besides violin, Rachel also enjoys playing cello, mandolin, and ukulele. She is a lover of all things arts and crafts, baking, and film photography. Her all time favorite thing to do (even more than violin) is spending time with her husband, son, and two spoiled cats.

Robin Cheezum

Instrument Repair Technician

Robin joined Bernhardt in April 2019 working in the shop cleaning instruments. She soon began training with our Workshop Manager doing small repairs. Robin now does repairs full-time. In June 2022 she studied with Hans Nebel and gained additional training and repair skills. When Robin isn’t repairing instruments, she enjoys participating in local theater and spending time with her dogs.

Sarah Buntele

School Coordinator

Combining her love of music and degree in education, Sarah is excited to be the school coordinator for Bernhardt. Her first violin was actually purchased at Bernhardt back in 2014. In daily life Sarah almost always has some type of music playing in the background. When not at work she enjoys spending time with her husband, history, and reading.

Bernhardt House of Violins is a proud member/supporter of:

 

American String Teachers Association 

National Association for Music Education 

South Carolina Music Educators Association

NAMM Top 100 Dealer in 2020

Recognized as one of the industry’s most outstanding retailers

Joyce Miller is an Accredited Member/supporter of:

Appraiser Association of America

The Violin Society of America