The long-running Mondomusica conference brought its unique blend of violin manufacturer networking, education seminars, industry discussions, world class performances, and international buying power to the U.S. last weekend for the first time ever. The long-running Mondomusica conference brought its unique blend of violin manufacturer networking, education seminars, industry discussions, world class performances, and international buying power to the U.S. last weekend for the first time ever. Mondomusica New York included 162 exhibitors in a packed hall in the heart of Manhattan.
CremonaFiere president Antonio Piva told SBO that the organization is taking a different approach with their American show. “In Italy, the show is focused on dealers and buyers,” he said. “The show in Italy is bigger at around 300 exhibitors. But this is an American show for the American public. The American market, composed of musicians, schools, and orchestras, is huge. I hope this exhibition will better work for such targets.”
The three-day festival included an exhibit hall open all day and master classes given throughout the day, including those from La Scala Theater concert master Francesco De Angelis and Verdi Conservatory quartet professor Roberto Tarenzi. A lecture organized by the American Strings Teachers Association (ASTA) explored methods for avoiding “Performance Quicksand,” as cellist Jeffrey Solow described pros and cons of strategies for performance practice. Discussions included a lecture on how to ensure correct string choices from Connolly Music and a panel on high-end violin investment options, and the weekend also featured performances by groups like the Shanghai Quartet and the Verdi Quartet. A special program put on by Japanese television network NHK presented a “scientific blind taste test,” where the audience and a panel of experts rated the sounds of genuine Stradivarius violins alongside modern instruments played from behind a screen.
www.mondomusicanewyork.com
