Why do so many great violinists also become composers? This course will explore the fascinating legacy of violinist-composers across history, including Baroque virtuosos like Heinrich Biber, Romantic legends like Niccolò Paganini, and 20th century innovators like George Enescu and Grazyna Bacewicz. Through listening, discussing, and studying visual materials, we will examine how these artists wrote music tailored to their instruments and themselves. Taught by a professional violinist, this course offers a behind-the-strings look at how performance and composition intertwine in the hands of the same creative mind.