Within the field of violin making, there exists a form of patronage “with a purpose,” namely to shape the future of music through meaningful support for musicians while also safeguarding cultural heritage. This type of patronage has been practiced for several years by the Berlin-based Stretton Society, which believes in a responsible model for managing historic instruments. These instruments are entrusted to outstanding musicians, who are often also recipients of scholarships. Through the acquisition and careful placement of rare instruments, Stretton members directly support selected artists by loaning them exceptional and valuable instruments, which are preserved, played, heard, and brought back to life.

These instruments, crafted by world-renowned luthiers—especially those from Cremona—are prized both for their artistic value and their extraordinary sound quality. Due to the high market prices of such instruments, which make them largely inaccessible to artists, the Stretton Society has long sought to address this issue by facilitating connections between patrons and musicians: patrons purchase the instruments, becoming their owners, and then offer them on free loan to artists.

In this way, patrons play a fundamental role in cultivating, promoting, and supporting artists and their careers, while the artists commit to preserving and enhancing the historic instruments entrusted to them. Since its founding, the Stretton Society has enabled patrons and musicians to connect, allowing more than 30 rare instruments to be actively appreciated. The violin by Antonio Stradivari “Archinto” (Cremona, 1721) has been entrusted to Leonidas Kavakos; the cello by Antonio Stradivari (Cremona, 1689) to Pablo Ferrández; the violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù “ex Rode” (Cremona, 1734) to Vilde Frang; the violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù “Carrodus” (Cremona, 1743) to Inmo Yang; the violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù “ex Lady Stretton” (Cremona, c. 1730) to Noa Wildschut; the violin by Antonio Stradivari “ex Fritz Kreisler” (Cremona, 1734) to Yamen Saadi; the violin by Antonio Stradivari “Kiesewetter” (Cremona, c. 1724) to Sergey Khachatryan; the violin by Antonio Stradivari “ex Petherick” (Cremona, 1683) to Leonhard Baumgartner; the violin by Lorenzo Storioni (Cremona, 1784) to Margarita Pochebut; the violin by Zosimo Bergonzi (Cremona, c. 1760) to Simone Zhu; the violin by Lorenzo Storioni (Cremona, c. 1790) to Maria Ioudenitch; and the violin by Omobono Stradivari “Blagrove” (Cremona, c. 1705) to Michael Shaham.

The latest addition to the Stretton Society is the “Macdonald” viola by Antonio Stradivari, dated 1719. It is one of only ten surviving Stradivari violas and once belonged to the Marquis della Rosa of Parma. Over the following three centuries, it passed through the hands of various musicians, luthiers, and dealers, including J.B. Vuillaume, John Betts, and W.E. Hill & Sons. The instrument’s current name derives from one of its former owners, Godfrey Bosville, third Baron Macdonald, who purchased it in the 1820s. In 1964, it was acquired for $81,000 by Peter Schidlof, violist of the Amadeus Quartet, who passed away in 1987. The viola, now considered the most expensive Stradivari instrument currently valued, has been assigned by the Stretton Society to Amihai Grosz, principal viola of the Berlin Philharmonic.