Sinfonima Foundation Loans Nine Cellos and Bows in 2025 Competition

The two-year loans of fine instruments are targeted at string players who are nearing the end of their studies at German and Swiss conservatories

Nine cellists who are nearing the end of their studies at German and Swiss conservatories have been awarded the two-year loan of a fine cello and bow, through a competition run by the Sinfonima Foundation. 31 young cellists all performed Schubert's "Arpeggione" sonata, as well as a solo piece of their choice.

The Sinfonima Foundation is the brainchild of Mannheimer Versicherung, a company offering insurance for musical instruments. It alternates between the loans of cellos and violins each year, and first began running the competition in 1991.

The players selected for the loan of instruments and bows are as follows:

• Benedikt Dan – Ekkard Seidl, Markneukirchen, 2001 (Guarneri model), with Reinhard Ulrich bow
• Carla Keller – Onorato Gragnani, Livorno, 1783
• Amalia Rümmele – René Champion, Paris, 1753, with Sebastian Dirr bow
• Marei Schibilsky – Nicolas Vuillaume, Mirecourt, ca. 1860 with Alfred Knoll bow
• Clara Stümke – Hans-Jörg Homolka, Stuttgart, 2012
• Godwin Ude – Ivano Conti, Cremonese, 1990, with Josef P. Gabriel bow
• Andrej van Brakel – Franz Johann Glass, Leipzig, 1898
• Michael Wehrmeyer – Giovanni & Francesco Grancino, Milan, 1660-1670, with Klaus Grünke bow
• Antoni Wrona – Nicola Amati, Cremona, 1636, with German bow, ca. 1930

In 2025, the jury comprised Werner Schmitt (chair), Karin Wolf, Bernhard Wallerius, Julius Berger, and Thomas Demenga.

"We are always impressed by the quality of the performances that the young musical talents present to us here," said Dr Lothar Stöckbauer, a member of the foundation’s board of directors.

"However, gaining such an intensive insight into their skills and the level of their artistic education does not make the jury’s decision on the awarding of the master cellos any easier."