Rooted in Rexburg, Idaho
Our History
A Legacy of Strings — One Family,
One Community, A Lifetime of Music.
The Ferguson Story
A Life Devoted to Strings
Richard Ferguson was born the fourteenth child of Hal and Carma Ferguson and raised in the Upper Snake River Valley, where he still resides today. He began playing the violin at the age of nine and, by sixteen, was already teaching his own private students.
He made his way through the Madison orchestra program under Rick Hansen, studying privately with Jenny Wilson, Lisa Weisse, and Florence Romney. He later attended Ricks College, where he studied violin with LaMar Barrus, served a mission to Curitiba, Brazil, and returned to meet and marry violinist KaraLyn Burt.
Building a Studio, Building a Shop
From Private Lessons to a Full Violin Shop
During his years at Ricks, Richard studied viola with Kevin Call, founded a music business, and grew his private violin and viola studio to as many as sixty-five students. After college he taught public school orchestra in the Idaho Falls, Madison, and Sugar-Salem School Districts, and continued to develop his violin shop alongside KaraLyn.
Over time the studio grew to nearly one hundred students per week, and the shop became a trusted resource for string players across eastern Idaho — known for hand-selected instruments, meticulous setup, and a lifelong commitment to every family it serves.
Milestones Along the Way
Three Decades of Music in Rexburg
1992
Teaching Begins
Richard begins teaching violin lessons in earnest, laying the foundation for what would become a private studio of nearly one hundred students per week alongside KaraLyn.
2001
Mountains & Strings
The Fergusons, together with Brian and Natalie Ashton, found the Mountains & Strings Chamber Music Retreat — a summer camp for serious teen string players.
2004
Tabernacle Orchestra
Richard and KaraLyn help found the Rexburg Tabernacle Orchestra, where they serve together as co-concertmasters to this day.
"Rexburg, Idaho is one of the most supportive communities for string playing in the nation — especially for its size."
— Richard Ferguson
A Musical Community
Rooted in the Rexburg Community
The highly acclaimed Madison String Program has been training fine string players for more than thirty years, and Ferguson students have consistently ranked among the top performers in the region. Many have been accepted into the All-State and All-Northwest programs, received scholarships to college music programs, and gone on to become teachers and performers themselves.
Alongside public-school teaching across three districts and raising five children with KaraLyn, Richard has continued to develop his playing and teaching. Every instrument we sell and every repair we make is an extension of that same commitment — to the music, to the player, and to the community that has made our work possible.
Become Part of the Story
Whether you are searching for your first instrument or enrolling your next generation of players, we would love to welcome your family into the shop.