violin

Elska ‘t Hoen donated this violin to the Musical Instrument Fund. She made this decision after being diagnosed with only a few months to live. Before her death, she wanted to be certain that the violin—which had originally belonged to her mother—would end up in good hands. And she had chosen the Musical Instrument Fund as its destination. Elska’s brother, David ‘t Hoen, remains deeply committed to the violin and the Musical Instrument Fund. He, too, vividly remembers what the violin meant to his mother. Elska had a special bond with the violin because of the memories she cherished of the instrument from her early childhood.
Elska’s early childhood was spent in a Japanese internment camp. Aside from 2-year-old Elska, her mother had been able to bring only a book and the violin—the possessions that were most dear to her. Three and a half years later, the mother, daughter, and the violin left the camp. The mother played the violin during their years in the internment camp. Under those unimaginable circumstances, the Carlo Landolfi had been her rock and source of comfort. Everyone can imagine that this instrument played a crucial role in the life of Elska’s mother and was therefore also of great value to Elska herself. Cornelie Möller (of the renowned firm Max Möller & Sons) told us that she vividly remembers Elska’s mother walking into her shop one day with a violin case in her hand. She wanted the Landolfi to be thoroughly examined, because it had, in fact, been stolen. The thieves had likely realized fairly quickly that they would have a hard time selling the violin and had “abandoned” it under a car. A passerby found the violin and brought it to the police. Fortunately, the police were able to track down the owner. After a brief examination and the replacement of a broken string, Möller was able to reassure the owner: the violin was undamaged. Rosanne Philippens was the first to play the violin for several years. In 2011, Amarin Wierdsma became the next lucky player of the Landolfi. She played it until early 2018, after which Isobel Warmelink received the instrument on loan. Since 2023, the violin has been in the hands of Ernst Jan Vos.