The violin has previously been played by Louis Spohr and Camilla Wicks

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Johan Dalene © Fredrik Schlyter

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Johan Dalene has acquired the 1725 ‘Duke of Cambridge’ Stradivari violin, thanks to a loan from the Norwegian charitable foundation, the Anders Sveaas’ Almennyttige Fond (ASAF).

’So happy and grateful to get to play this incredible instrument,’ said Dalene on social media.

The violin has been played by illustrious violinists, such as Louis Spohr and Camilla Wicks. Wicks (1928-2020) was a Norwegian-American violinist and one of the first female violinists to establish an international career. In the early 1970s, Wicks became head of strings at Oslo Royal Conservatory and was awarded a lifetime professorship. She influenced a generation of leading Norwegian violinists during her time as an educator and was named a 1st class Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her contribution to music in the country.

The ASAF remarked on the significance that the violin’s Norwegian lineage would continue in Dalene’s hands.

The ASAF was founded in 1990 and aims to support young Norwegian musicians, through scholarships and instrument loans. It currently owns seven violins and one cello by Stradivari, as well as instruments by the Brothers Amati, Montagnana, Rugeri and Guadagnini.

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