"STRINGS ATTACHED"--a powerful memoir about resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy, an inspiring and poignant tale of how one man transformed his own heartache into a legacy of joy for his students

Strings Attached

Strings Attached is a powerful memoir about resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy, an inspiring and poignant tale of how one man transformed his own heartache into a legacy of joy for his students.

His students knew Jerry Kupchynsky as "Mr. K"-the fierce Ukrainian-born music teacher who rehearsed them until their fingers almost bled and who made them better than they ever expected to be. Away from the classroom, though, life seemed to conspire against him at every turn. Strings Attached takes you on his remarkable journey, from his childhood on the run in Nazi Germany, to his life in America caring for his disabled wife while raising their two small daughters, to his search for his beloved younger daughter after she mysteriously disappeared-a search that would last for seven years.

His unforgettable story is lyrically told in alternating chapters by two childhood friends who reconnected decades later: Melanie Kupchynsky, his daughter, and Joanne Lipman, a former student. Heartbreaking yet ultimately triumphant, Strings Attached is a testament to the astonishing power of hope-and a celebration of the profound impact one person can have on the lives of others

Reviews

 

"A vivid, often tender portrait...that ends up ripping your heart out." -USA TODAY

"A very fine dual memoir.... For those who had a figure like Mr. K in their lives, STRINGS ATTACHED will resonate. Everyone else will wish they had been so lucky."―The New York Times Book Review

"A wonderful, inspiring story of a teacher who pushed his students to do more than they thought they could--and changed their lives."―--Jeanette Walls, bestselling author of The Glass Castle

"A vivid, often tender portrait.... Writing in alternate sections, Lipman and Kupchynsky tell Mr. K's story in plain prose that ends up ripping your heart out."
―USA Today

"Makes me believe that one man can make a difference.... This book reveals how music can become an anchor, a binding element for creating friendship and support during times of grief, illness, and tragedy.... Mr. K's work lives on and we are all the richer for it."―Yo-Yo Ma

"Moving and motivating... While tactics like [Mr. K's] may not have earned his students immediate devotion, they never forgot him and often found they could achieve more than they ever dreamed."―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Strings Attached gives us many gifts. It allows us to look into the world of music (Melanie Kupchynsky plays today for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra); it reminds us of the promise of America to immigrants with ambition; it gives us a portrait of a man who struggled against great odds in life, who suffered great adversity, but who always forged ahead in spite of his many trials.... It also reminds us to be thankful for those teachers who made a difference in our lives, those who refused to listen to our excuses, those who terrorized us as did Mr. K., who pushed us to overcome obstacles, who took us out of ourselves and helped carry us toward our dreams."―Smoky Mountain News

 

 

 Joanne Lipman

 

 

 

Joanne Lipman, one of the nation's most prominent journalists, is author of the bestseller THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. She until recently was Chief Content Officer of Gannett and Editor-in-Chief of USA TODAY and the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprising the flagship publication plus 109 local newspapers including the Detroit Free Press, the Des Moines Register, and the Arizona Republic. In that role, she oversaw more than 3,000 journalists and led the organization to three Pulitzer Prizes.

Lipman began her career as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, ultimately rising to deputy managing editor – the first woman to attain that post – and supervising coverage that won three Pulitzer Prizes. At the Journal, she created Weekend Journal and Personal Journal and oversaw creation of the Saturday edition. She subsequently was founding editor-in-chief of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine, which won Loeb and National Magazine Awards.

Lipman is a frequent public speaker and has appeared as a television commentator on ABC, NBC, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and PBS. Her work has been published in outlets including The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and the Harvard Business Review. She is co-author, with Melanie Kupchynsky, of the acclaimed music memoir “Strings Attached.”

A winner of the Matrix Award for women in communications, Lipman is also a member of the Yale University Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the boards of the Knights Orchestra, the World Editors Forum, and the advisory boards of Breastcancer.org and the Yale School of Music. She and her husband live in New York City and are the parents of two children.
 

Yale grad, mom of two, lapsed viola player. For more, please visit JoanneLipman.com

Melanie Kupchynsky

 

 

Melanie Kupchynsky is a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and  co-author of "Strings Attached", scheduled to be released by Hyperion in October 2013. She began studying violin at the age of four with her father and the subject of the book, Jerry “Mr. K” Kupchynsky. Melanie studied violin performance and music education at the New England Conservatory, earning both bachelor's and master's degrees, and also attended the Schneider Seminar, Yellow Barn Music Festival, and Tanglewood. 

Melanie began her career with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under the direction of John Williams and performed with the symphonies of Springfield, MA, Hartford, Portland ME, and Pittsburgh before being hired by Sir Georg Solti in 1989. With the CSO, she has performed around the globe under the world’s greatest conductors and with the world’s most prominent soloists. She is also an active chamber musician, and a participant in the Chicago Symphony's "Citizen Musician" community outreach program..  She lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband Edward Harrison, timpanist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and their three children.

http://www.melaniekupchynsky.com/