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The “Joachim-Ma” Stradivarius violin sold for $11.25 million at Sotheby’s today. The 311-year-old instrument, which derives from Stradivari’s Golden Period, was sold by the New England Conservatory (NEC). The proceeds of the sale will go to the largest named endowed scholarship in the NEC’s history.
“The scholarship will make it possible for many more students to come to NEC for generations to come,” NEC’s President, Andrea Kalyn, told The Violin Channel. “We’re very excited about the transformational opportunity for NEC, and for those students who get to study with our esteemed faculty. Our musicians have an incredible impact in the world, both in the field of music and the world in general, and the scholarship will support their education and future development as musicians.”
The instrument was gifted to the school by the late violinist Si-Hon Ma, an alumna of the conservatory who graduated with an Artist Diploma in the 1950s. The violin was gifted to NEC in 2015 with a provision that it would be sold to support student scholarships.
Before the violin was owned by Ma, it belonged to the renowned nineteenth-century virtuoso Joseph Joachim, who is said to have premiered the Brahms Violin Concerto on this instrument. Joachim also played a central role in the revival of Bach’s music for solo violin.
Over the past decade, NEC allowed four students to use the “Joachim-Ma” Stradivarius for a period of one to two years.
“While it has been an incredible opportunity for the very few students who got to play it, establishing the largest named endowed scholarship in our history is an important step for us to create new opportunities for future generations of students,” Kalyn added. “This sale is increasing and amplifying the impact of the instrument.”
Before the auction on Friday, the violinist VC Artist Geneva Lewis, a graduate of the New England Conservatory, performed the Largo from Bach’s Sonata No. 3 on the “Joachim-Ma” violin.
The instrument had an estimated value of between $12 and $18 million. The bidding began at $8 million, sold for $10 million, and with buyer’s fees, the price came to $11.25 million.
The current record for the highest-selling violin is held by the “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius, once owned by the granddaughter of Lord Byron, which sold in 2011 for $15.9 million.
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