Historic Stradivarius Sale Funds Future Musicians’ Dreams

Quick Smiles:

• A historic violin sale will fund scholarships at a music conservatory.
• The Joachin-Ma Stradivarius violin sold for $11.3 million at auction.
• The proceeds will create the largest endowed scholarship at the New England Conservatory.

A music conservatory has made an extraordinary decision to benefit its students, prioritizing education over possession of one of the world’s most treasured instruments.

The Joachin-Ma Stradivarius violin, crafted in 1714 and renowned for its unmatched quality, was owned by the New England Conservatory. It has now been sold to fund the largest endowed scholarship in the institution’s history.

The auction took place in New York, with expectations set high between $12 and $18 million due to the violin’s prestigious brand value, often described as “Strad-ospheric.”

This violin carries the illustrious name of Joachin-Ma, a tribute to its most famous owners: Hungarian virtuoso Joseph Joachim and Si-Hon Ma, a Chinese-American immigrant.

It is believed that Johannes Brahms was inspired to write his Violin Concerto in D Major for this very instrument, debuting it in the mid-1800s.

“Brahms wrote the Violin Concerto [D Major] specifically for this violin, and it was debuted on this violin in the mid-1800s,” shared Mari-Claudia Jiménez, an auction house representative.

Si-Hon Ma, who graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1950, gifted the violin to the institution before his passing. Although the sale concluded at $11.3 million, it fell short of its estimated value and the world record for a musical instrument sale by $4 million.

“The sale is transformational for future students, and proceeds will establish the largest named endowed scholarship at New England Conservatory,” said Andrea Kalyn, president of the New England Conservatory.

“It has been an honor to have the Joachim-Ma Stradivari on campus, and we are eager to watch its legacy continue on the world stage.”

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