World Famous Violin

Some of the famous high-priced violins..

"Ex-Vieuxtemps" by Guarneri del Gesu -US$3,900,000 "The Hammer" by Antonio Stradivari -US$3,544,000 "Solomon Ex-Lambert" by Antonio Stradivari -US$2,728,000 "Lady Tennant" by Antonio Stradivari -US$2,032,000 "The Red Mendelssohn" by Antonio Stradivari -US$1,686,700 "Kreutzer Strad" by Antonio Stradivari -US$1,580,000 "Taft" by Antonio Stradivari -US$1,326,000 "Ex-Vieuxtemps" This famous violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, was being played by Israeli violin virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman during a concert in Pashkov House, Moscow, on March 21 2008. This instrument is bought by Lawyer Maxim Viktorov at Sotheby's auction in Feburary, 2008.It was sold for a world-record price of US$3.9 million dollars. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman performed to a repertoire of Bach, Mozart and Bruch pieces with the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre. This del Gesu violin was made in 1741 and later belonged to Henri Vieuxtemps, a Belgian composer, a violin prodigy, and a court soloist to Tsar Alexandar II.  "The Hammer" "The Hammer", a violin by Antonio Stradivari, was first owned by Swedish collector Christian Hammer. On May 16 2006, it sets a new world record then at an auction at Christie's New York. The violin goes to an anonymous telephone bidder, with a high price of $3,544,000, over $1 million above its high estimate. It also broke the record of a Stradivarius, "The Lady Tennant" set in year 2005. This famous violin was probably made during a chilly period between 1645 and 1715, when the wood used may be of unique quality. The unusual cold spell is one reason Stradivarius violins are highly priced.

History of the Violin

http://www.sprengerviolins.com/e/violin_history.htm

Evening With Joanne Yeoh

Joanne Yeoh, a Malaysian violinist, was born 28 April 1977. Yeoh had her high school education at Sekolah Menengah Subang Jaya (1990 till 1994). She obtained a Bachelor of Arts (1st Class Honors) from Middlesex University, United Kingdom in 1998 and was subsequently awarded a Luther and Ernest Gaunt Scholarship for Strings to study at the University of Leeds. During her study there, she was also chosen to receive a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholarship, in association with the British Council and the University of Leeds. She completed her Masters in Music Performance (MMus) in 1999. Joanne has since completed her PhD in psychology with a focus on music and consumer behaviour with Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK 2009.

In 2004, she was selected as the honoree for The Outstanding Young Malaysian Award for the category, "Personal Improvement and Accomplishment". In 2008, she was awarded Martell's Rising Personality Award 2008. Joanne is a Fellow of Trinity College, UK (Piano), as well as, a Fellow of Trinity College, UK (Violin). While studying in the United Kingdom, Yeoh participated in:

• the Aberystwyth Music Festival
• the Edinburgh Festival
• the Aberdeen Music Festival

She also played an active role with the Sorrel Quartet during the Leeds Annual Music Festival in 1999. After returning to Malaysia, Yeoh participated in the Asian Youth Orchestra (2000), travelling to Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Korea and Hong Kong. In 2002, she performed alongside Jacky Cheung in his "Music Odyssey Tour 2002/2003", covering over 40 concerts around the world. Her tour with Jacky Cheung included performances in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China, Taiwan, Brunei, U.S., UK and Canada.

In 2003, she performed with David Tao in his "Soul Power Tour 2003", touring Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. In the same year, she wrote a chapter in a book entitled Music in a Multidisplinary Context: Writings on Various Aspects of Music Studies, published by Universiti Putra Malaysia Press, Serdang. She has also given a number of public lectures on music, that include:

• The Benefits and Limitations of Using Scientific Approaches in The Study of Musical Performance (2000).
• Do Women Need Their Own Musicology? (2001)
• Methods of Overcoming Anxiety in Music Performance (2003)

In 2004, she released her debut album entitled, Joanne Yeoh: Pulse of a Metropolis, comprising nine English songs and one Malay song. In the same year, she was selected as the honoree for "The Outstanding Young Malaysian Award (2004)", for the category of "Personal Improvement and Accomplishment".

(Credits to : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanne_Yeoh)

Her very own site is here:

http://www.joanneyeoh.com.my/