Violinist Yasuko Ohtani Loaned 1702 ‘Lord Newlands’ Stradivari

Ahead of Ohtani's 50th anniversary of her debut in 2025, the Nippon Music Foundation has facilitated the loan

Japan’s Nippon Music Foundation has loaned the 1702 ‘Lord Newlands’ Stradivari violin to Yasuko Ohtani for up to one year. The foundation's 'Category C' will see the instrument used for a specific purpose: the celebration of Ohtani's 50th anniversary of her debut in 2025.

In 1876, Gand & Bernadel bought the violin from a French amateur player before selling it to instrument dealer David Lawrie in 1877. Lawrie brought the instrument to Scotland and sold it to amateur player William Croall, who kept it until around 1884. Following this, Lord Newlands acquired the instrument, which stayed in his collection until his death. The violin received its name from the latter, who lived from 1825-1906 and was formerly known as William Hozier, 1st Baron Newlands.

Before it was acquired by the Nippon Music Foundation in 2002, the violin passed through the possession of Robert E Brandt, W.E. Hill & Sons, and an anonymous owner throughout the 20th century.

Japanese violinist Ohtani Yasuko Ohtani currently serves as a professor at Tokyo College of Music and a special professor at Tokyo University of the Arts Junior Academy.

She has performed with many orchestras both in Japan and abroad, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine.

A graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts and its doctoral program, her most recent album was released in 2019, featuring Franck and Poulenc’s violin sonatas in collaboration with piano virtuoso Itamar Golan.

She is the author of the book entitled Violinist, Kyo mo Hashiru! (Kadokawa) in addition to hosting and performing on the television show Ongaku Kousaten with artist Koasa Shunput for BS TV Tokyo.

The winner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Festival Award in 2010, she is the chairperson of the Nerima Ward Cultural Promotion Association, a Kawasaki City Cultural Ambassador, and a Kochi Prefecture Tourism Ambassador, as well as director of the Japan Symphony Foundation and the Japan Federation of Musicians.