Looking for Sponsored Violin
Replies (22)
Perhaps the adage 'beggers can't be choosers' is kinda apt here...
Have you played enough "professional" violins to know that only an old French/Italian instrument would meet your needs?
You can talk with your local violin shops and see if they would be willing to loan you a good violin (I would not set sights on old French/Italian only). If you do well in your upcoming competition, your chance may improve. Several promising young violinists in my area are beneficiaries of such generous loans from my local shops.
Also, several organizations have instrument loan programs. Rachel Barton Pine's foundation is one of them and there are also links to other such programs from there: http://www.rebf.org/loan.html
Greetings,
I just took a student shopping for a new instrument. We tried a range of modern Italins that were ll good except one which I rejected out of hand. The best one by far had a nice balance of power versus sweet and varied tonequality. It is an instrument I would have been happy to enter the profession on although at that stage I might be beginning to think about something better. The cost
1 400 000 yen.
Even this assumnes the instrument is ridiculously over priced since instruments here are price din some crazy way that virtually doubles the price. Then ther eis the problem of doing the conversion now with the soaring yen and collapsing dollar.
But I will get back to you in a bit ...
The point is frankly speking, a jump from your present level to a top level soloist instrument is neoither necessray nor desirable. Sometiems playign on marvellous instruments can spoil one so much that w enever learn to find the best in -any- instrument although I have no doubt you are rightly seekign something a lot better and worthy of your talent. It isnP`t jsut becaus eof money that most of us progress realistically though instruments apprpriate for our age and talent.
Well I did the conversion and it comes out at 18 000 dollars. Facotring in the ablcve comments thats probably around an 8 000 -10 000dollar instrument in the US although I would be happy for soemone to refine my estimate. Anyway, its a more reasonable figure at this stage I think....
Cheers,
Buri
Hi! I'm actually trying to raise money for my own violin (it costs much less - 12 000 euros, and I am a winner of numberous international competitions that I won playing on an instrument for 2000 euros...), it's a modern italian instrument made by Andrea Schudtz from Cremona and it's really fantastic :)
So seriously start with something you can afford... besides you won't get sponsorship here... try to talk to some local banks, companies, you could offer to play in their corporate events free of charge in exchange for the help... do you even have a dvd where everybody can see how good you are???
Jeffrey, how did you decide on old French or Italian?
A couple of quotes from a 1991 New York Times article:
Jaime Laredo: "I've been shocked when students have asked my opinion of old Italian or French fiddles that cost $50,000 to $60,000. Often, they're just pieces of junk."
Isaac Stern: "If musicians can't spend at least $250,000 on a stringed instrument, they'd do better with a fine new one, provided they take the time to test it under battle conditions in a good concert hall."
Don't know if this is of any help, but at least it's local (South Africa):
Not going to get into the debate about what you really need. In your position, without a ready sponsor, it's probably really more about what you can actually obtain that will give you some advantage anyway.
"youre forgetting that this guy might have an ear for old violins, and has no fiscal reason to shamelessly promote moderns."
LOL, Stern and Laredo had a pretty good ear for old violins, and probably had no reason to promote anything either. ;-)
David-If you were to update the numbers from those 1991 quotes what do you think they would be today?
-M
Perhaps Jeffrey Holmes will answer that. It's not really my end of the business. Wild guess... multiply by 1.5?
Perhaps Jeffrey Holmes will answer that. It's not really my end of the business. Wild guess... multiply by 1.5?
In terms of market since '91, for instruments of some quality, at least 1.5. In the 250K range, closer to double for some.
Not that I completely agree with the statements... There is certainly truth there, but the statements (Stern's more than Loredo's) are more "sound bites" than rules, in my opinion (hey, media loves those soundbites)... I think there are certainly some fine sounding instruments within the price ranges quoted... but I would also say that some contemporary instruments are exceptional and can hold their own with many violins that are priced even higher than the ranges mentioned. In the end, if the quotes inspire players to look at new instruments on equal footing with older ones, it's all good.
Let me put it this way (in a way I don't mind being quoted later on): If the stated priority of the player is to find a great sounding instrument, and they are not considering contemporary instruments as well as older ones, they are probably either making a serious mistake... or are driven by other factors that are not being clearly stated.
Hey David; When are you guys going to get smart, marketing wise, and list your high risk behaviors on your websites??!! :-)
Jeffrey, I thought my posts were high-risk behavior!
Explanation: Implying that we will die soon has been a joke amongst us makers, as a way to push up the market value of our fiddles. Somehow, we're worth more when we're dead. LOL
How long till a maker fakes his own death, I wonder....
for a 14yo, you sure sound like you know what you want...but if it doesn't work out that way, why not a good contemporary violin maker? i read good things about brian lissus who is in your region. try his violins and let your teacher try them as well and tell us what you both think. they're also supposed to be nicely priced.
David,
just change your Monika to Ex-Burgess and you can retire comfortably around next April.
Cheers,
Buri
... or just add 'III' to the end of your name and espose your grandfather luthier who changed his name from Burgessi to fit in arter arriving from Italy... blah, blah....
"How long till a maker to fakes his own death, I wonder...."
lol..
Was it not allready happen with the year 1737? I guess he is still alive. But today i see him more typing and less making.
I came across a clip recently where a pupil told Zukerman that the reason he couldn't make a good sound was because of his instrument, and Zukeman took it from him and played it. It's not the instrument! I'm pretty sure that if I was with one of the great players and we swapped instruments that I would still sound like me and he/she would make a beautiful sound on my violin.
I linked that here not long ago - maybe you saw it then? It was a masterclass in China...
I wonder why this one bounced up - David speaking from beyond? But wait a minute, he was just faking that...
I was wondering about that too.
But I really am genuinely fake deceased.
Probably because he deleted his post
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
International Violin Competition of Indianapolis
Violinist.com Holiday Gift Guide
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Subscribe
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
September 4, 2011 at 05:28 PM ·
You certainly don't need $50k for a professional violin. Most big name contemporary makers would make you a fantastic violin from $10k~$30k+.