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The Stradivari Society A Division of Bein & Fushi

Founded in 1985 by the late Geoffrey Fushi and Mary Galvin with the encouragement of the legendary pedagogue Dorothy DeLay, The Stradivari Society is dedicated to the preservation and pursuit of excellence in classical music by identifying the world’s most promising young artists and uniting them with the superb rare, antique Italian instruments they need to help begin and sustain their professional careers thanks to generous patrons. The organization has assisted leading teachers, foundations, and ensembles with loans of great Italian antique instruments.

Midori with violin Maxim Vengerov with Geoffrey Fushi
Midori auditioning for what became The Stradivari Society’s first loan of a great instrument in 1985 Maxim Vengerov with Geoffrey Fushi Artistic Directors: Philippe Quint and Vadim Gluzman

The Stradivari Society has helped launch the careers of some of today’s most brilliant and successful artists including Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Vadim Repin, Midori, Sarah Chang, Vadim Gluzman, Philippe Quint, Augustin Hadelich, Maxim Vengerov, Paul Huang, and Kyoko Takezawa, among many others. With the leadership and vision of Mary Galvin, Geoffrey Fushi, and Executive Director Suzanne Fushi, the wholehearted support of Robert Bein, and the contributions of generous patrons, what began with the loan of the “David” Guarneri del Gesù of 1735 to Midori in 1985 has grown to become the largest and most prestigious great antique instrument loan program in the world and a valued resource to the classical music community.

“The Stradivari Society has helped the musical lives of several brilliant concert violinists by generously offering them the use of incomparably great instruments. Therefore, those who support it, support in a unique way the future of exceptionally gifted musicians.”
–Daniel Barenboim

Tours and Special Events

The Society has collaborated with many distinguished institutions to provide unique performance opportunities and instrument loans for its artists including the Supreme Court, hosted by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the Library of Congress, Zhongnanhai, the “Chinese White House,” for President of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin, Samsung Foundation of Culture, Musée de Luxembourg in Paris, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Preservation League of New York State. The Society has also presented several major tours of China, Korea, and France, featuring many Society artists and performances and prestigious venues around the world including Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, London, Paris, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Going hand in hand with the international performances were Geoffrey Fushi’s rare violin exhibitions and lecture-demonstrations about the great Italian masterworks of the past.

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Philippe Quint performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as a part of a Violins of Hope concert series in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023. Pictured: Paige Ben-Dashan, Gabriel Ben-Dashan, conductor of the LPO Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Philippe Quint The Stradivari Society and Bein & Fushi were honored to partner with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in early 2023 for an event celebrating the Music Matters Endowment. Pictured: Vadim Gluzman and Artistic Director and Concertmaster of the CSO Yuriy Bekker. Pinchas Zukerman leads a masterclass in Bein & Fushi’s Great Room with Margot Schwartz, Jonathan Miron, and Emily Rose Hyun

 

Master Classes and the Woman’s Athletic Club Series

Since its founding, the Society has presented master classes held in the Great Room at Bein & Fushi that brought the guidance of some of the world’s most esteemed teachers to promising artists. We launched a concert series with Mrs. Galvin at the elegant Woman’s Athletic Club of Chicago in 2006 featuring recitals by Stradivari Society recipients which has delighted concertgoers for decades.

Paige Ben-Dashan, Gabriel Ben-Dashan, pianist Irene Kim, Sandy Cameron, and John Gerson at a Woman’s Athletic Club Series recital. Julian Rhee, Paige Ben-Dashan, Gabriel Ben-Dashan, and John Gerson— days after Julian won the Silver Medal at the Indianapolis Competition and moments after he was surprised with the extended loan of the ‘Lady Tennant’ Stradivari at the Woman’s Athletic Club.

 

 

To find out more about becoming a Stradivari Society patron, contact Paige Ben-Dashan at 312-663-0150 or paige@beinfushi.com
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