Malvern teen sharing love of violin at Columbiana County Fair

LISBON -- Among all the baked goods, animals and other attractions at the Columbiana County Fair, there's a young man named Owen Hoopes playing old time music on a violin, sharing his love for the strings.

"I like to share music with others -- it's my responsibility. I love it," the 16-year-old Malvern musician said.

He's been playing for a dozen years now -- yes, you're reading that right -- he started at age 4.

"I started taking lessons and I never stopped," Owen said.

Playing the violin has been his passion and now he wants to raise funds to build a Music Barn on the family farm in Carroll County as a place for concerts, for lessons and for the community to come together.

So he's traveling from event to event, leaving out a large glass jar where people can deposit a dollar or more to help him out while he entertains them. The sign at this stand gives the message of strengthening the community with a family friendly venue, live music events, music lessons, practical skills workshops, local networking, community awareness meetups and an annual community gathering.

"I want to bring my community together and surrounding communities," Owen said.

His repertoire includes classical, blue grass, Celtic, gypsy jazz and old time music, including some music that dates back to the Civil War.

The son of Matt and Tiffany Hoopes and big brother to 6-year-old Isaac, he's home schooled and when he was 3 years old, his dad wanted him to learn guitar, but couldn't find anyone who would teach him. They were watching the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour and learned about the Suzuki method, found a teacher in Canton for violin and started taking lessons. The rest is history, as they say.

He now plays not only violin, but also guitar, mandolin and the cello.

The idea for the Music Barn started a few years ago. He started going to fiddle contests in 2022, met a lot of people and it was very exciting, with Owen even placing first in the Ohio State Fiddle Contest. He was invited to a national Old Time Fiddle contest in Weiser, Idaho where he placed fourth, but won best male performance. Then in 2023, the family set off on a four-week journey to California when he was invited to a music camp, they stopped in Utah for a fiddle contest where he won first place, then they stopped at a place called Meadowgreen Music Park in Kentucky and he came up with the idea for the Music Barn.

"Dreams are worth having," Owen said.

He's currently studying violin at Mount Union University and playing in the Alliance Symphony Orchestra. He's been invited to participate in the Cleveland Youth Orchestra for the 2026-2027 season. His brother has also been learning violin, starting at age 4.

At his stand, he has an informational flyer about his quest for the Music Barn and his love of music.

"This building will serve as a family friendly venue to share the joy of music and foster the development of practical life skills, facilitating a strong local community," he wrote.

His mom Tiffany said he not only plays music, he also writes songs.

"As a mom, I'm thrilled because there's so much opportunity," she said.

His dad Matt's advice to everyone is "dream big and go after it. If you have something you want to do, do it."

Owen also had some advice for all those musicians out there who may have given it up.

"If you play music, you shouldn't stop, even if not pursuing it. Pick it up, just keep playing," he said.

Tiffany said the hope is to find an architect or builder who can help him design the Music Barn and maybe a company to help with materials. For now, the goal is to raise the funds. He plays at the Rogers Sale and plans to explore opportunities where he can play his music and seek donations. This is his first county fair.

For anyone wanting to help, donations can be sent to P.O. Box 245, Malvern, Ohio 44644 or email the family at mhoopes@protonmail.com.