Music interview: US violin virtuoso Joshua Bell on reconnecting with his Scottish roots at the Usher Hall

‘I actually come from Scottish descent, on my father’s side of the family,” says Joshua Bell. “Bell is a Scottish name, after all.” Caledonian connections might come as a bit of a surprise from the US violinist, one of classical music’s starriest figures, who returns to the land of his forefathers for a concert at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on 21 January. But to him, those roots clearly matter. “My father used to talk to me about his grandfather and great-grandfather, who fought in the Black Watch,” he continues. “So there’s something sentimental about playing in Scotland – and of course it’s a special place anyway.”