NYC viola trip

October 1, 2009 at 7:54 PM

I`m just back from my annual NYC viola trip. I`m very tired... It was too busy, but I managed to see the Kandinsky special exhibition at the Gugenheim, as well as James Ensor`s exhibition on MOMA. But had no time to visit San Zygmuntowicz and other makers this time.

I met Sue Gingold, of the NYC Opera, she knew Sacconi and was a friend of the Wurlitzer's for many years. She studied with Brunno Giuranna in Accademia Chigiana in Siena. Now my viola "Fiammetta" will be in the hands of Sue Gingold on the pit of the David H. Koch Theater, on the Lincoln Center, NY. Sue reserved the "Fanny Meldelssohn" viola for a former student, who got it without seing it in person, only based on Sue`s impressions. Here Sue Gingold and I:

We went to a concert on Bagermusic, a floating barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Hudson River, that was transformed in a chamber music room, with the Amerigo Trio, with Glenn Dicterow (violin), Karen Dreyfus (viola) and Inbal Segev. Nice players, nice repertoire, but the barge moved a bit...

I met again violists of the NYP, here with Vivek Kamath and Keneth Mirkin, on the Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center:

I met also some students at Julliard, here with Crista Kende, a high octane player:

Here Nardo Poy (Metropolitan Opera and Orpheus):

Here with Daniel Panner, at Mannes College:

I also met Patty Kopec, Zukerman's assistant in the Manhattam School of music, on her lovely private studio. She spent an hour with us. One of Patth`s student, Tali Kravitz, from Israel, was there too, Tali is a very fine player Patty Kopec is a fantastic person and told me she would like to see one of my violins, perhaps I`ll make one for the next year.

Here Patty Kopec and I, on her studio at the Manhattam School of Music:

Here Tali Kravitz test driving my violas:

I also met Karen Dreyfus on her apartment very near the Lincoln Center. She asked me to leave my violas with her for a day to test them.

Tony Finley (who got one of my violas too) invited us to a private concert in a mansion near the Morgan Library, with top players, a violinist, a cellist and a pianist. A very interesting program including Bartok`s sonata for solo violin, Britten`s sonata for solo cello, Beethoven`s Kreutzer, Sarasate`s Introduction and Tarantella. The violinist played the Strad "Lord Norton" (on loan) a very late Strad that I had seen last year with a dealer. The audience was of about .... 20 persons.... very posh!!!. Here a photo of the music room:

www.manfio.com

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on October 1, 2009 at 9:36 PM

What a nice trip!!! Bravo for your instruments, they really look appreciated!

Anne-Marie

From Royce Faina
Posted on October 2, 2009 at 1:45 PM

Wow! What a nice trip! I echo Anne-Marie! The People, the Places! The Food? And what testimonies for your viola(s)!

From Donna Clegg
Posted on October 2, 2009 at 4:54 PM

Ditto the above comments. Your instruments are beautiful - color me green with envy. I wish I could hear them played live. Maybe one day - you never know :)

From Michelle Ippolito
Posted on October 2, 2009 at 7:57 PM

Another WOW! What a terrific trip -- concerts, people, instruments, studios -- it all sounds fantastic.

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on October 3, 2009 at 7:17 PM

Thanks! Yes, it was a nice a trip, it was a blessing meeting so many good players and teachers and finding new homes for my violas! Now I have a comission for another 16 inches violas and than, perhaps, a Del Gesu inspired violin.

www.manfio.com

From Aaron Schiff
Posted on October 4, 2009 at 4:59 AM

Luis, thank you for the wonderful photos and commentary. I loved your website also. In deference to the forum rules, I won't post in Portuguese, but you really should include a Portuguese portion of your website.

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on October 4, 2009 at 12:31 PM

Thanks Aaron! The number of Portuguese speaker visitors to my site is very small and the players here who would be interested in my instruments most certainly can ready in English, I think, that`s why we web designer made just the English and Italian versions. The Korean version was sent me by a Korean friend.

An English version of the scroll carving and corner shaping tutorials was made by someone and you can find it if you google it.

Se voce vier para Sao Paulo venha me visitar. Ciao!

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NYC viola trip

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