Los Angeles Violin Shop

Today is Earth Day and we, like so many others, are in constant awe and profound appreciation of this magnificent planet we call home. It is also the birthday of Yehudi Menhuin, widely considered to be one of the most naturally gifted and greatest violinists of the 20th century. Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM KBE (22 April 1916 12 March 1999) was an American-born violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He played the Soil Stradivarius..., considered to be of the finest violins in existence and now owned by Itzhak Perlman, and the Viuextemps del Gesu, which recently sold for $16 Million USD! Here's a link to shop friend, Laurie Niles at Violinist.com, describing her afternoon encounter with the Viuextemps del Gesu. https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20107/11489/ Thank you to the Earth and Happy Birthday Yehudi! #EarthDay2021

We love this Silvestre violin. It is both visually stunning and has a rich, complex, and powerful tone. Pierre Silvestre apprenticed locally in Mirecourt before moving to Paris to work for Nicolas Lupot and Gand père. In 1829 he left the Gand workshop to start his own business in Lyon. Silvestre's brother Hippolyte joined him two years later, and the brothers produced instruments jointly as a partnership. Of the two, Pierre is perhaps regarded as superior, but both were acco...mplished as individuals. Built mostly on Stradivari and Guarneri models, their work is of excellent craftsmanship and tone, and is among the finest produced in 19th century France. Varnish is often a dark red, with some antiquing. After Hippolyte's retirement in 1848, Pierre continued to work alone until his death in 1859. Thanks to @tarisio for the concise profile of this master Parisian luthier. Give us a call at 213-471-2124 to setup a trial for this fine violin and other current offerings.

We love being able to have our friends back in our newly renovated gallery and workshop space! Here Roberto Cani puts a 2021 Guarneri del Gesu model violin by our Head-Resident Luthier Jiwon Han through its paces. Jiwon’s discipline, skill, and passion, coalesce in every instrument he crafts and his instruments are owned by leading soloists and film score session players. We couldn’t be prouder to have him as our Head-Resident Luthier. ... Give us a call at 213-471-2124 to setup a trial for this and other current offerings from our skilled team of Resident luthiers!

Did you know March is National Noodle Month? While not exactly a noodle per se, here is Nicolo Paganini’s recipe for Genoan Ravioli and meat sauce, written in his own hand. The recipe calls for beef, veal, sausage, and a calf’s brain. We are still working on vegan substitutes

Spirito Sorsana was initially thought to have studied violin making with Gioffredo Cappa, but while that connection makes sense in terms of chronology and geography, it does not hold up under scrutiny of their style or working methods. Historical sources show the existence of a Sorzana family in Turin, which may explain the similarities between Sorsana's work and that of Giovanni Francesco Celoniato, who also worked in Turin. His original labels date from the mid-1720s to the mid-1730s. Thanks to @tarisio for this bite-sized nugget of info on this enigmatic maker. To quote a recent local concert master who stopped in for a rehair and gave this violin a nice workout, I really like this one! We do too! Contact us at 213-471-2124 for more info and to setup a trial.

We love the Bam Peak Performance line of cases. They are ideal for the busy musician on the go and include spaces for your laptop, tablet, and cell phone, and still provide the safety and stability that is inherent in the Bam name. Is it time for an affordable upgrade to your equipment? Give us a call at 213-471-2124 to take a look.

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume was the single most influential personality in the violin world of the 19th century. A prolific maker, inventor, connoisseur and dealer, he established Paris as the centre of the violin trade, which it remained until after his death. This example from 1864 is based upon his careful and thorough examination of the work of Guarneri del Gesu. Looks good, sounds even better! Call us at 213-471-2124 to setup a trial in our newly renovated workshop space.

#TBT to a lovely Del Gesu that stopped in for a visit during our Authenticate LA certification event two years ago. How time flies! We sure do miss our friends from the ateliers of Rampal and Raffin and can’t wait until we can travel safely again.

https://youtu.be/zubI7XZv2UM

We are deeply saddened and filled with righteous anger at the horrific events that recently took place in Atlanta as well as the disturbingly steady increase in Asian-American animus and hatred in our country. We condemn hatred, xenophobia, and systemic racism and discrimination, in all its guises, and commit that it will find no foothold in our workshop community. We stand in solidarity with our cherished partners and friends against all forms of hatred and endeavor to con...tinue to co-create a workshop culture that welcomes and respects the high inherent dignity present in us all. In the meantime further reading and resources can be found by following the links below: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/ https://instagram.com/antiasianracism_?igshid=17u0ch6iljiw1 https://instagram.com/antiracismdaily?igshid=10i3k1k8qr0rg https://instagram.com/napawf_atl?igshid=1i1ya88ubmcgk https://instagram.com/asianaaf?igshid=n7agy2ligxwy https://instagram.com/asiansformentalhealth https://instagram.com/stopaapihate?igshid=omu294vokqaz

Kyung Wha Chung is exceptional for many reasons. Aside from studying with both Joseph Szigeti and Ivan Galamian, fostering a career that has spanned five decades, she’s also the caretaker of two exceptional Guarneri del Gesu- the Rode of 1734 and the Kubelik of 1735! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeV1cUNyPGc

Today is International Women’s Day and in honor of our boundless expression, endless tenacity, and bottomless grit, as we continue to march towards equal pay and acknowledged control over our bodies and minds, we’re pleased to present one of the most powerful women in Classical music today and one of our all-time favorite expansive soloists playing a recent recital at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Moreover, Leila Josefowicz is a passionate proponent of modern instruments. Her 2018 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin has a custom Dragon totem on its back. #InternationalWomensDay

We love our Resident Luthiers! Did you know that our Resident Luthier Jiwon Han has produced instruments for leading soloists and studio session players? We love having him as our Head Luthier. His discipline, skill, and passion coalesce in every instrument he crafts. You would be hard pressed to find a better violin in Los Angeles for the value. Contact us for current shop offerings and to setup a trial today.

Our friends Dr. William Sloan and Cristian Fatu sat down together to compare Stradivari and Del Gesu instruments! Check out their video on Youtube and read more about it at violinist.com/blog/laurie/20209/28474/

...speaking of Stradivari! This 1924 E. Heinrich Roth violin is modeled on a Stradivari design! This handsome German violin is everything you expect in a E. Heinrich Roth from this era. The label is handwritten. The back is two-piece bookmatched maple with beautiful flaming rising slightly from the centerline to the edges. The ribs and scroll match. The top is fine-, straight-grained spruce. The varnish is dark burnt umber with red highlights over a golden base. Antiquing is original and consists of some thinning of the color to simulate typical wear on the back top and ribs. This violin has been well cared for and is in excellent condition. Dark rosewood pegs, chinrest, and tailpiece contrast nicely with the varnish. Make an appointment to try out this beauty by calling or emailing us today!

If you're a fan of the violin, we're sure you've heard the name Antonio Stradivari, legendary maker of the world-renowned Stradivarius violins. But, what do you actually know about Stradivari? Here are some fun facts about the famed luthier! Stradivari was born in 1644 in Cremona. Stradivari also made harps and guitars. One of his instruments, the Molitor, was rumored to have been owned by Napoleon. It was actually owned by one of his generals.... It has been thought that perhaps Stradivari's violin wood was treated with other chemicals, and indeed researchers in Taiwan have found traces of aluminum, copper and calcium in his instruments, though those might just be results of treatments used by the loggers who sold him the wood. There are only about 650 known Stradivari known to have survived until today. : A romanticized print of Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument from Oberndorfer, Anne Faulkner (1921). What we hear in music.

Our friends at @CAP_UCLA will be presenting their free online Tune In Festival, featuring Vijay Gupta and the Kronos Quartet Oct 28-Nov 1, 2020. The Tune In Festival is a four-day convening of artists performing together in a grand gesture of cross-cultural solidarity that shares the time-honored tradition of music and poetry as a wellspring of resilience, resistance and inspiration. The Tune In Festival is chock full of song lines and rhymes from some of our most revered voices who speak from the rousing perspective of activating truth. Link: https://bit.ly/3idS1LT

We're so excited that we found a home for this beautiful François Caussin violin, but we will miss seeing it in the shop every day! What a beauty! We've got many other gorgeous instruments in our shop, including a Caussin cello, so be sure to check out our website and make an appointment to come in to our store to see the latest offerings.

Raise your hand if you have stage fright? If your stage fright is affecting your bow arm, check out Violinist.com's tips and tricks to regain bow control!

Check out our beautiful Jonathan Li 2019 cello played the magnificent Kevin Mills!

This Cesare Maggiali violin was made in Genoa in 1959. Fun fact: Born in 1886, Maggiali was actually a professional school teacher by trade, though he was an accomplished violin maker (and violinist!) on the side.

We're looking forward to the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts to release the film of these historical instruments being played. Their music and their stories need to be shared.

With Google's new AI Tone Transfer, we can all become violin virtuosi!

We've never seen a more adorable practicing buddy!

ROUND 4: Contemporary / 20th Century Composers! In honor of Classical Music Month, we're putting some of our favorite classical music composers head to head. Whose music do you love the most? Vote below! (We know it's hard to choose!)

Check out this handsome François Caussin cello! This instrument dates from 1860 and has a two-piece book matched maple back that displays fine lateral flaming. The ribs and scroll match, and the scroll is elegantly and deeply carved. The top is very finely grained spruce, and the varnish is a light golden brown color that has darkened with age. We're proud to say we did the restoration for this beauty in house at LAVS.

Last chance to take advantage of our Bach to School Rental Package! This EXTRA special package includes everything you need for your studies, starting at ONLY $90, is and is only available for purchase until Sept 30. Our "Bach to School" special covers rental for the fall semester (Sept-Dec) and includes: Instrument Rental Case... Shoulder Rest (for violin or viola) Rock Stop (for cello) Rosin Polish Cloth LA Violin Shop Protection Plan (insurance) Music Book - Essential Elements or Suzuki Contact us or visit the link in our bio for more pricing information.