The Stradivari Society is a philanthropic organization based in Chicago, Illinois, best known for its arranging deals between owners of antique string instruments such as those made by luthiers Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri, for use by talented musicians and performers. The Stradivari Society does not hold title to the instruments.
Background The Society was founded by Geoffrey Fushi and Mary Galvin in 1985 when Galvin, wife of then-president of Motorola, Bob Galvin, was approached by Fushi and Robert Bein from Bein & Fushi of Chicago, to lend the Ruby Stradivarius of 1708 that he had previously sold to her to a promising violinist, Dylana Jenson. Seeing that such rare violins were very expensive and difficult to obtain, Galvin and Fushi designed the structure and name of the society after lending another violin when Dorothy DeLay of the Juilliard School asked Fushi for a violin for her most promising student, then ten-year-old Midori. Enjoying the experience of lending such beautiful violins to those who could use them to grow and launch their careers, a string of loans followed.
Awardees include Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Paul Huang, Yi-Jia Susanne Hou, Leila Josefowicz, Philippe Quint, Sarah Chang, Janine Jansen, Vadim Repin, Kristóf Baráti, Hilary Hahn, Maxim Vengerov, and Paul Coletti, all of whom have enhanced their careers playing violins the Society arranged for them to borrow.
Loan program The Society's two dozen patrons are each given tri-annual concerts by their sponsored musician during its three-year period. Each artist is responsible for insuring the instrument, and its delivery to the workshop of Bein and Fushi. Inspection and service is performed exclusively by Bein and Fushi three times yearly, and cannot be done by any other luthier without permission. The instrument is often purchased by the artist from its patron, with The Society acting as liaison.
Recipients
Antonio Stradivari Philippe Quint - Ruby, 1708 Clara Jumi Kang - ex-Strauss, ca. 1708 Vadim Gluzman – Auer, 1689 Kristóf Baráti - Lady Harmsworth, 1703 Augustin Hadelich – Kiesewetter, ca.. 1723 Cecily Ward – Fleming, 1681 Rugerro Allifranchini – Fetzer, 1694 Gil Shaham – Comtesse de Polignac, 1699 Frank Almond – Dushkin, 1701 Berent Korfker – King Maximilian Joseph, ca. 1702 Stefan Milenkovich – Lyall, 1702 Tamaki Kawakubo – La Cathédrale, 1707 Jeff Thayer – Burstein; Bagshawe, 1708 Joshua Bell – Tom Taylor, 1732 Janine Jansen – Barrere, 1727
Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù William Hagen - Sennhauser, ca. 1735 Paul Huang - ex-Wieniawski, ca. 1742 Francisco Fullana - Mary Portman, ca. 1735 Stephen Kim - Moller, cs. 1725
Other Joshua Brown - Pietro Guarneri, 1679 Stephen Waarts - Pietro Guarneri II of Venice, ca. 1750 Tim Fain - Francesco Gobetti Venice, ca. 1717 Sandy Cameron - Pietro Guarneri of Venice, ca. 1735 Elena Urioste - Alessandro Gagliano, ca. 1706 Kenneth Liao - Nicolò Amati, ca. 1635–40 Gao Can - Nicolò Amati Lobkowicz 1617 Jonathon Moerschal – Gasparo da Saló, "Adam", 1590 (viola) Yang Lie - Guarneri School of Cremona. ca. 1740 Tom Stone Jr. – Tonge; Scheinin, Carlo Bergonzi, ca. 1733 Jisun Yang – Nicolò Gagliano, ca. 1750 Richard Hirschl – Ferdinando Garimberti, 1923 (cello) Michala Høj – Robert Chen, Matteo Goffriller, ca. 1700 Jason Issokson – Pietro Guarneri, ca. 1679 Yang Liu – Guarnerius, ca. 1740 Hanbin Yoo – Giovanni Paolo Maggini, ca. 1600 Tai Murray – Petrius Merighi, 1772 Masha Lakisova – Taylor, Giovanni Francesco Pressenda 1845
See also Stradivarius John & Arthur Beare Machold Rare Violins List of Stradivarius instruments
References Stradivari Society - Official website