A boost for
the viola
collection
The Musical Instrument Fund recently had the unique opportunity to purchase an incredibly beautiful instrument: a viola built by Lorenzo Storioni in Cremona in 1778. No candidate has yet been selected to play the viola. Who will be the lucky one?
In Search of Diversity
The Musical Instrument Fund aims to expand its viola collection—which consists largely of beautiful contemporary violas—with a few older violas, so that the diversity of the collection better reflects that of the violists who need our support. Over the past few years, two 18th-century Dutch violas (Lefèbvre and Cuypers) and a 19th-century French viola, built by J.B. Vuillaume, have already been added to the collection. Now, the Storioni—the most valuable viola in the collection—has also been added.
promising
When this viola was offered for sale, we wanted to hear it played by different musicians in different concert halls. The initial reactions from the musicians who tested the Storioni were very promising. Combined with very positive reviews from experts, a dendrochronological report supporting these findings, and an incredibly generous donation from Mrs. Genders’ family, nothing stood in the way of purchasing this beautiful instrument. We are very pleased that the “Genders viola” is now part of our collection.
View the Storioni