VC Artist Clara-Jumi Kang Receives Golden Period Stradivarius on Long-Term Loan

Clara will now perform on the 1702 “Thunis” Stradivari violin on a long-term loan by KIA Motors

The 1702 “Thunis” Stradivari was first loaned to VC Artist Clara-Jumi Kang Clara in 2023 by KIA Motors, for whom she now acts as a Global Ambassador. 

Following a long period of searching for a new instrument, Clara encountered the “Thunis” on a visit to the J & A Beare shop in 2022, where she tried several fine violins including by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, before settling on her current choice. 

Named for the French tenor Willy Thunis of Paris — who also owned another Stradivarius from 1728 that still carries his name — the 1702 “Thunis” Stradivari was once played by Jeanette Ysaÿe, widow of the famed virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe.

Clara made her orchestral debut at age five with the Hamburg Symphony; her career launched with her winning the Indianapolis International Violin Competition in 2010, as well as the Sendai Violin Competition that same year and the Seoul Violin Competition in 2009.

She has since appeared solo with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and more. 

A graduate of Lübeck Musikhochschule, The Juilliard School, the Korean National University of Arts, and Munich Musikhochschule, her mentors included Zakhar Bron, Dorothy DeLay, Nam-Yun Kim, and Christophe Poppen. She has also released acclaimed albums on the Decca and Accentus labels.

Her recent projects have included performing at the BBC Proms with VC Artist Timothy Ridout in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Ensemble Resonanz.

“Words alone cannot express my gratitude for the generosity, support and care I experience with J & A Beare,” Clara said in the press release. “When I was in need of a violin, they instantly helped me out and through them, I have found my 1702 Strad.”

“It was a joy to assist Clara in finding her perfect violin,” added Steven Smith, J & A Beare’s Managing Director. “A great musician needs a great instrument, and the connection she found with the 1702 ‘Thunis’ here at Beare’s is a match made in heaven. It’s wonderful to see that through the patronage of Kia Motors she has now secured this violin for her future use.”