FAMED STRADIVARIUS VIOLIN SALE OF $11 MILLION ESTABLISH LARGEST SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FOR BOSTON MUSIC STUDENTS

Would you donate an invaluable treasure to help out future generations? The $11 million sale of a violin that was once in the New England Conservatory's collection is helping them answer that question by creating an incredible endowment that they are giving to their students. In particular, a Stradivarius violin.

The instrument was created in 1714 by the well-known violin maker Antonio Stradivari, during what is referred to as Stradivari's "golden time." Despite making other instruments such as violas and cellos, Stradivari was mainly known for his violins. According to Stradivari historian Toby Faber, the violin up for auction is among the finest ever created and belongs to a family of instruments that are "without parallels in any other sphere of human achievement."

The violin's heritage adds to its notoriety. Previously held by virtuosos Joseph Joachim and Si-Hon Ma, the instrument is most often known as the “Joachim-Ma” Stradivarius. When Joachim, a Hungarian violinist who lived from 1831 to 1907, performed with Johannes Brahms, he most likely played the violin. Brahms was also influenced by the legendary Stradivarius, and it is thought that he wrote a composition called "Violin Concerto [D Major]", especially for the instrument.

The Stradivarius was last owned by Si-Hon Ma, a well-known Chinese-American violinist and composer who lived from 1925 until 2009 before donating it to the New England Conservatory. After earning his master's degree from the institution in 1950, Ma went on to create the Sihon mute. With profits from his invention, Ma purchased the Stradivarius violin for his own work, further enriching the instrument’s history.

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius was put up for auction by the New England Conservatory in collaboration with Sotheby's New York. The violin was expected to bring between $12 and $18 million during pre-sale. The ultimate sale, which brought in $11.3 million, barely met the projection. Even so, this amount is remarkable, making the Joachim-Ma sale the second most costly instrument in history. The 2011 sale of the "Lady Blunt," another Stradivarius violin, brought in $15.9 million, setting the current record.

The largest scholarship fund in the history of the New England Conservatory has been created entirely by the proceeds of the Joachim-Ma auction. "The sale is transformative for future students, and earnings will fund the largest named endowment scholarship at New England Conservatory," says Andrea Kalyn, president of the New England Conservatory. Having Joachim-Ma Stradivari on campus has been an honour, and we can't wait to see its legacy carry on globally.