ProMusica concertmaster to debut new musical partner: 300-year-old violin
Very few people ever have the opportunity to search for a violin worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Most of us, though, know what it’s like to go on a date.
As it turns out, the two experiences have quite a bit in common.
“I like to compare picking a violin to when you find somebody that you want to be in a relationship with,” said Katherine McLin, the concertmaster of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, which last year began a search for a new violin to play during performances.
In 2022, ProMusica was the recipient of an anonymous donation of $1 million, a significant share of which was earmarked for the organization to acquire a violin to replace McLin’s longtime instrument, a 1734 violin made by Venetian violin maker Sanctus Seraphin. About two decades ago, an anonymous foundation loaned that violin to McLin, but the loan was set to expire at the end of this year.
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Thus began the violinist’s search for a new musical partner of sorts.
“You have faith that the right violin is out there, but you have to go looking for it,” McLin said of the process. “The more violins that you look at, and the bigger the pool of violins you look at . . . the better your chance of finding that.”
Now, McLin has found the right match.
ProMusica recently purchased a violin crafted by another Venetian violin maker, Francesco Gobetti, in 1709 or 1710. The organization bought the instrument through a rare instrument dealer in Chicago, Bein and Fushi. The organization did not disclose the cost of the purchase, but CEO Janet Chen said that “a good portion” of the $1 million gift was applied to buying the instrument.
“This is an incredible fiddle, and it was the right place at the right time,” Chen said.
McLin will make her official debut with the instrument in performances with ProMusica on Saturday at the Worthington United Methodist Church and Sunday at St. Mary Catholic Church in German Village.
During the search, McLin considered 28 possible violins, but just three emerged as major possibilities.
“I took them home to Arizona with me,” said McLin, who makes her home in Phoenix. “I sat and really got to know them probably for about a month each. ... But there was always something that was going to be a concession.”
Then the Gobetti violin emerged — a rarity, given that no more than 25 violins by the maker are thought to be extant, the orchestra said.
“His output was very small,” McLin said. “The first violins that are attributed to him started about 1707, and he made violins through the teens and then he died in the early (1720s).”
After McLin played the instrument in concerts in December, she was confident she had identified something special.
“The very first notes played, my first reaction was, ‘Oh, that’s nice!’” McLin said. “It was the only violin where I had a member of the orchestra come up to me and say, ‘Oh, I really like that violin — that violin sounds beautiful!’ ... I call the sound ‘buttery.’ It is so sweet and warm and supple.”
But McLin, knowing that the deal wasn’t done, tried to keep her emotions in check.
“When she played this Gobetti . . . she was so reserved,” Chen said. “She was not sharing much with me in terms of how she felt about it. It was almost to a point where I thought, ‘Oh, she must not like it.’”
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In fact, the opposite was true.
“I approached each violin very guardedly, because it’s not just how much I liked it,” McLin said. “I knew it was going to be a joint decision.”
Although McLin was the first one who had to feel comfortable with the instrument, other leaders in the organization had to weigh in, too, including music director David Danzmayr and creative partner Vadim Gluzman.
“A concertmaster violin, first and foremost, needs to have a sound that you’re anchoring the entire string section off of,” McLin said. “A concertmaster violin needs to also be powerful enough to stand in front of the orchestra and solo with it.”
Plus, there was no guarantee the orchestra could strike a deal.
“I was really protecting myself, and trying not to get excited,” McLin said.
Not only did the leaders agree with McLin about the merits of the violin, but the orchestra succeeded in acquiring the instrument in late December. It will remain with the organization long after McLin’s tenure ends.
“I’m just the steward of the violin for however many years I play in the orchestra,” she said. “Then, I’ll hand it to the next concertmaster.”
During concerts this weekend, Gluzman will lead the orchestra in performances of works by Antonio Vivaldi and Peteris Vasks, but a special, five-minute piece will feature McLin and the new violin. It’s one way commemorate the newest member of the ProMusica family.
Said McLin: “I could not feel absolutely more convinced that this is the right fiddle.”
At a glance
The ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, featuring concertmaster Katherine McLin performing with the organization’s newly acquired violin, will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at Worthington United Methodist Church, 600 High St., Worthington; and 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary Catholic Church, 684 S. 3rd St. Tickets cost $32, or $12 for students. For more information, visit promusicacolumbus.org.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: ProMusica Chamber Orchestra buys violin with million dollar donation
