The violin. The infinite possibilities and ineffable beauty of sound conceived in the space of this small wooden box compels me to play it each day. Yet, while in essence a wooden box, the making of this instrument is a craft which humans have devoted their lives to mastering for hundreds of years - each element, from the choice of wood to the varnishing techniques, meticulously honed and developed.
Each violin is a unique voice. Over the last five years, I have been loaned three. Three relationships - you live with them each day and learn to understand them. Eventually, it becomes one with you - your voice, your means of expression. I loved all of these instruments - each so different and each representing, in a way, a different chapter of my growth as an artist.
While one never truly owns a violin - it outlives a human lifespan by hundreds of years - to take care of an instrument which comes with no return date and no loan contract is a dream of mine. That is why, in July 2022, I visited Andreas Hudelmayer, a master luthier, to ask him to make me an instrument. He plans to begin its creation in Spring 2024.
Like many others, Andreas Hudelmayer believes that over the last few decades we have entered a second Golden Age of violin making. A number of contemporary makers have reached such a pinnacle of the craft as to rival the work of the legendary Italian makers of old. Hudelmayer is unequivocally one of them.
One of the fundamental aspects of my calling as a violinist is to share the gift of music. In order to share this gift, the instrument itself plays no small role and naturally, to commission a masterpiece comes at a price. This fundraising initiative came about at the request of a number of people who so generously wish to support me in this quest.
I would be truly humbled and grateful for any contribution towards the crafting of a 2024 Hudelmayer violin. By supporting this venture, you not only realise a personal vision of mine, but through this new instrument bring, I trust, joy to many - not only by my hands, but also by the many hands that I hope will play it after me.
