Music Masterclass

2024 - 2025

Continuing its artistic project of lutherie and music the Casa Stradivari Foundation is pleased to announce the Casa Stradivari Music Masterclass dedicated to young musicians. They will have the opportunity to meet not only great performers and the greatest musicians on the music scene, but also the luthiers of Casa Stradivari: essential exchanges for the growth of young artistic performers, looking for the sound of the present.

Young musicians now become a real active part of Casa Stradivari's activities.

This project unites the art of performance and interpretation with the art of lutherie, in full harmony with the Unesco Safeguard Plan project, which considers this synergy the «unique ingredient» of the cremonese art of lutherie.

During the time of Antonio Stradivari, the greatest luthier of all time, the Strada Maestra and all of Italy resounded with the music of violinist-composers. These musicians were inventing new forms of expressions, transforming and innovating the techniques for string instruments.

They inspired not only the creativity of Stradivari’s workshop, but of the entire Cremonese lutherie school of that time.

After 350 years, the same spaces live once again and resonate thanks to the Casa Stradivari Music Masterclass.

In this iconic place, where history echoes and inspires, musicians and violinmakers return to collaborate to build the art of music today and to envision the role of "Sound" in all its aspects.

THE COURSE

The Program is dedicated to violinists preferably aged 14 to 23 of any nationality, graduates and non-graduates.

The course lasts one year (starting from October 25th) and covers technical and musical deepening of the great violin repertoire with M° Fabrizio von Arx (Fondazione Casa Stradivari), M° So-Ock Kim (Royal Academy of Music) and the Artists in Residence of Casa Stradivari.

The annual course is offered free of charge.

Each student is entitled to 3 hours of individual lessons per month with Maestros Fabrizio von Arx and So-Ock Kim.

Individual lessons will be held in the Music Room of Casa Stradivari (C.so Garibaldi 57 - Cremona) and remotely, according to each student's needs.

The Casa Stradivari Foundation will provide collaborative pianists for in-person lessons, upon student request.

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

In addition to the individual lesson hours, students will have the opportunity to meet and extend their program with the next Artists in Residence of the Casa Stradivari Foundation.
These sessions will be held in spaces selected by the Foundation.

MAESTROS

Fabrizio von Arx

Swiss and Neapolitan of origin, Fabrizio von Arx began his violin studies at the age of 5 under the aegis of G. Leone. A graduate of the San Pietro a Majella music conservatory in Naples, he won the Vittorio Veneto competition at a very young age, as well as many national competitions for young talents. He went on to perfect his skills in Geneva, where he won 1st prize for the Diploma of Virtuosity with Corrado Romano, and then again for Performer at the School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington, United States, with Franco Gulli and Nelli Skolnikova.
He also worked in Berlin with Ruggiero Ricci and in Cremona with Salvatore Accardo.
His debut at the age of 16 with the RAI Orchestra of Naples propelled him towards an intense level of activity at both national and international level.
Since then, he has been invited to play at concert seasons, such as: the Serate Musicali in Milan, the Scarlatti Association in Naples, Ravenna Festival, the RadioRai3 Concerts at the Quirinale in Rome, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, Festival de Bellerive, Les Grands Interprètes in Neuchâtel, the Tonhalle in Zürich, Wigmore Hall in London, the WienerSaal in Salzburg, the Berlin Philharmonic.
Fabrizio von Arx is regularly invited to perform with major orchestras under the baton of renowned conductors such as: the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Sinfonia Orchestra with Christian Benda, the Moscow Soloists with Yuri Bashmet, the Japan Royal Chamber Orchestra with Shunsaku Tsutsumi, the Zurich Symphonisches Orchester with Alexander Vedernikov, the Berliner Symphoniker with Lior Shambadal.
He also performs on tour in the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, China and Switzerland.

When it comes to chamber music, the collaboration between Fabrizio von Arx and Bruno Canino spanning more than twenty years makes the duo particularly loved by audiences and critics alike, as does his work with partners Roberto Prosseda, Julien Quentin, Franco Petracchi and Finghin Collins.

Signed to RCA Sony Classical since 2013, his last two releases – French Impressionists with piano and Live Recording in Prague with orchestra – have been acclaimed by the international press.

His discography also includes the recording of the complete compositions for violin and piano by Prokofiev with Antonio Valentino, released by Nuova Era, as well as the complete sonatas by Schumann with Bruno Canino under the label Dynamic, which was awarded 5 stars by Musica magazine.

Fabrizio von Arx plays the Stradivari The Angel - ex Madrileno of 1720.

So-Ock Kim

Born in Seoul, So-Ock Kim moved to London at the age of three. At 15, she was the youngest ever winner of the gold medal in the prestigious Shell/LSO Competition playing the Tchaikovsky concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra in the Barbican Hall. At 19, So-Ock was selected for the Young Concert Artists Trust as a soloist and member of the Emperor piano trio.

So-Ock has given numerous critically acclaimed performances around the world and at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall in London. Abroad she has comprehensively toured throughout Asia, Europe and the US, performing
concertos and recitals in the various international music festivals, such as Schleswig Holstein, Beethoven Festival, Ravinia, Mecklenburg, BBC Proms, Radio France Festival, Herrenchimsee, Seoul Spring, Hong Kong Chamber, Casals and
Aldeburgh. Many of her performances have been broadcast on radio and television worldwide, including the BBC, ABC, Radio France, RAI, KBS, Polish Radio and Classic FM.

So-Ock has made numerous acclaimed international performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio
France, Sofia Philharmonic, Orchestre Nationale de Montpellier, KBS Symphony, Torino Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Mexico State, and Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestras. She has performed as a soloist with conductors Kent Nagano, Edward Gardner, Alain Altinoglu, Krzystof Penderecki and the Polish Radio Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with Vassily Petrenko, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera North, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, Suwon Philharmonic, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Westdeutsche Sinfonia and the English Chamber Orchestra.

So-Ock has a keen interest in the performance of new works and has given several World Premieres that have been recorded for Universal (France and Korea) and Naxos. She is also an active chamber musician and Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London, as well as Artistic coordinator of the Beare’s International Violin Society.

So-Ock Kim plays a Stradivari of 1706.

FINAL CONCERTS

The Music Masterclass program includes one concert in May and one end-of-course concert with performances by each student alongside the Casa Stradivari masters.

The best students selected by the Casa Stradivari Foundation will also have the opportunity of playing a fine violin of the Cremonese tradition kindly provided for the occasion by Beare’s International Violin Society.

WORKSHOPS AND DEVELOPMENT

Additionally, for the entire duration of the Program, the Casa Stradivari Foundation organizes a career preparation path, offering insights and specific workshops on topics such as:

designing and drafting a concert program
writing a CV
choosing an appropriate musical instrument
communication and public speaking courses

COSTS

The annual course is offered free of charge.

Students are responsible for any travel, accommodation, and personal expenses.