William Moennig & Son

Over the past century, world-renowned violinists developed trust in William Moennig & Son, which built and repaired string instruments at this Rittenhouse Square townhouse. When William Moennig & Son abruptly closed down due to industry changes in 2018, this caused great dismay among violinists worldwide.

Moennig may be best known for her portrayal of Linda on Bob’s Burgers, but she is an accomplished actor with many other credits to her name and is an active member of the LGBTQ community.

Early Life and Education

William Moennig and Son has long been regarded as a reliable resource for string players worldwide, serving them with repairs, instruments and bows since 1842. Over three centuries of music history passed – through depressions, two world wars, changing tastes in classical music – without them visiting William Moennig & Son to get what they need repaired, repaired instruments or bows they needed – they found William Moennig & Son a go-to shop.

Katherine Sian Moennig was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Broadway dancer parents and violin maker father. Her ancestry traces back to German and Irish.

She gained prominence through the Showtime series The L Word from 2004 to 2009. Additionally, she appeared in Young Americans (2000) where she played Jake Pratt (Drew Barrymore). Danner is first cousin to actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner as well as being Harry Danner’s aunt. Currently she is in a relationship with Brazilian film director Ana Rezende.

Professional Career

Over the course of nearly a century, some of the world’s finest violinists developed trust for William Moennig & Son as their go-to shop for repairs, adjustments or new instruments. From Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman to Philadelphia Orchestra greats like Leonard Bernstein – four generations of Moennigs were sought out by them all for repairs or upgrades.

Starting in 1909, this firm specialized in selling fine stringed instruments to clients like Heifetz and Stern. Furthermore, their archive contains photos, references and information proving that Antonio Stradivari 1731 “Romanoff” ever passed through their doors.

William Moennig III joined his father’s business in 1940s, studying violin making under Leo Auschauer of Mittenwald and AmAde DieudonnA in Mirecourt as well as connoisseurship under Pierre Vidoudez, Max Moeller and William Beare. Since his father’s retirement in 1975 he has led it as director.

Achievement and Honors

The Moennigs quickly earned the trust and respect of musicians and artists across America, particularly members of the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as faculty and students of Curtis Institute of Music. Furthermore, their skills became highly sought after for trading fine violins and bows.

These violinists were the first American-born members of Entente Internationale de la Luthier at Archetiers and helped form the Violin Society of America, as well as being prominent members of American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers.

William Moennig & Son has become the go-to shop for string players worldwide for decades. Through two wars and changes in musical tastes, clients including Itzhak Perlman and Isaac Stern continued coming back.

Personal Life

William Sian Moennig is an American actress best known for her roles on Young Americans and The L Word. Additionally, she is an accomplished theater and Off-Broadway performer and the daughter of violin maker William Moennig and Broadway dancer Mary Zahn – William is known for making violins while Mary Zahn performs ballet on Broadway.

She has also made waves for pursuing transgender roles, auditioning for Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry and portraying Cheryl Avery from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s episode Fallacy as an emerging transgender woman.

Moennig is married to film director and producer Michael Barish and they share both a dog and cat together, which she often posts pictures of on social media accounts. At present they do not plan on having any children together.

Net Worth

Moennig made her mark on Teenage Americans (2000) when she played an androgynous girl who poses as a boy to attend an all-male school, drawing critical acclaim and earning her the Young Artist Award for Best Actress in a TV Show.

Moennig was featured as Shane McCutcheon from 2004-2009 on The L Word. She reprised this role for its sequel series, The L Word: Generation Q. As an openly gay woman, Moennig has used her platform to advocate for more LGBTQ representation within media outlets.

She currently resides in Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon neighborhood and was one of the co-founders of Wildfang apparel company which produces and markets women’s clothing as well as serving as its brand ambassador.