The market for fine string instruments continues to attract the interest of investors and enthusiasts worldwide. During the first six months of 2026, sales of string instruments at the leading auction houses delivered strong results, showing growth compared with 2025. Ingles & Hayday recorded total sales of £2 million. Tarisio and Bromptons also achieved outstanding performances, ranking among the top auction houses by overall sales.

At Bromptons, a c. 1750 Nicolò Gagliano cello was sold for £600,000. At Tarisio, a distinguished 1933 Annibale Fagnola cello, made in Turin, achieved £160,000. Ingles & Hayday sold a Giovanni Battista Grancino violin for £156,000.

Other historic Italian makers also attracted considerable interest. At Tarisio, a 1749 Camillo Camilli violin sold for £144,000, while Bromptons sold a 1770 Gennaro Gagliano violin for £222,000.

The steadily increasing value of Italian string instruments has made their purchase virtually unattainable for most young musicians. This is why the role of foundations that lend outstanding instruments to deserving performers has become increasingly essential.

Among these initiatives, the work of the Fondazione Filarmonica Trento deserves special recognition. For several years, the Foundation has provided fine instruments on long-term, free-of-charge loan to promising young musicians, creating a bridge between the craftsmanship of master luthiers and the talent of new generations.

The Foundation has entrusted violinist Ruben Galloro, active in chamber music and orchestral performance, with a violin by Andrea Giovannetti, a luthier working in Tuscany. Violinist Tommaso Santini has received a violin made by Gianmaria Stelzer, a Trentino-born luthier active between Trento and Zurich. Violinist Elina Kulac, who began her musical studies in Ukraine and is continuing her education at the F. A. Bonporti Conservatory in Trento, has been entrusted with a violin crafted in Cremona by Gerardo Luigi Mereu. Violist Francesca Zanghellini, an active performer and teacher, has received a viola by Luca Olzer, who builds bowed and plucked string instruments in his workshop in Pergine Valsugana.

The Foundation's loan programme includes not only modern and contemporary instruments but also a number of outstanding historical examples. Among them is a fine Grancino-school cello, donated through the bequest of the Anzoletti family, which has been entrusted to Alberto Delama, a cellist, teacher and researcher in the field of musicology.

"An instrument does not reach its fulfilment when it leaves a luthier's workshop, but when it enters the life of a musician,"said Alessandro Arnoldo, Artistic Director of the Fondazione Filarmonica Trento. "That is where its true story begins. Supporting this encounter means taking care of the future of music."