Nippon Music Foundation Announces Results of 30th Instrument Loan Committee

Fine instruments have been loaned to VC Artists Maria Dueñas, Zlatomir Fung and Dmytro Udovychenko, among others

Launched in 1994, the Tokyo-based Nippon Music Foundation's Instrument Loan Project provides the loan of fine Stradivarius and Guarneri violins to notable string soloists who are under the age of 35.

The Foundation has recently announced a fresh round of Category A loans. These loans are available to instrumentalists of all nationalities, and they are usually held for a term of 2-7 years.

The 2024 recipients are VC Young Artist Maria Dueñas (Stradivarius 1710 Violin “Camposelice”) and Minami Yoshida (Stradivarius 1716 Violin “Booth”); VC Artist Zlatomir Fung and Michiaki Ueno (cellos); and the Goldmund Quartet (Stradivarius ”Paganini Quartet”).

In addition, VC Young Artist Dmytro Udovychenko was recently loaned the 1708 "Huggins" Stradivarius, as part of his prize for winning the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition.

Established in 1974, the Nippon Music Foundation's objective is to contribute to musical culture in Japanese society. The Instrument Loan Project is its flagship offering, and in the process, the Foundation has become a global custodian for these fine instruments.

The Foundation is now in possession of 21 string instruments (15 Stradivarius violins, 1 viola, 3 cellos, and 2 Guarneri del Gesu violins).