The violinist received the violin from the Stradivari Society of Chicago and will perform on the instrument in a host of upcoming engagements

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Violinist Alexandra Tirsu holding the 1717 ‘Reifenberg’ Stradivari violin

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The Stradivari Society of Chicago has announced the loan of the 1717 ‘Reifenberg’ Antonio Stradivari violin to Moldavian violinist Alexandra Tirsu.

The ‘Reifenberg’ violin has been played by a host of renowned violinists, including Jacques Thibaud, Nathan Milstein, Jaime Laredo and Salvatore Accardo. Most recently, it has been in the hands of Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

’Welcome to The Stradivari Society, Alexandra! We look forward to the “Reifenberg” Stradivari inspiring your music,’ said the society, who is facilitating the loan through a generous patron.

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Photo: Matthew Tolzmann

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Photo: Matthew Tolzmann

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Photo: Matthew Tolzmann

Prior to this current loan, Tirsu played on a 1699 Stradivari violin that was used by renowned violinist Ida Haendel for most of her career.

Tirsu completed her undergraduate studies with Pavel Vernikov in Vienna and Janine Jansen in Sion. She won third prize and the audience award at the 2021 ARD Competition and is also a laureate of the 2018 Seoul International Music Competition and 2014 Osaka International Competition.

Tirsu’s 2023/24 season brings her to Seoul, Korea, where she makes her debut with the Korean Chamber Orchestra as well as her debut in the Isarphilharmonie (Munich) with the Bavarian Youth Orchestra playing Britten Violin Concerto, and Romanian Athenaeum (Bucharest). She has recently performed in concert halls such as the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Herkules Saal and Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Seoul Arts Center, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and the Beijing Concert Hall.

She has performed under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, Ronald Zollman, Gabriel Bebeselea, Dmitri Jurowsky, among others, and has collaborated with musicians such as Ivry Gitlis, Daishin Kashimoto, Razvan Popovici, Uto Ughi, Diemut Poppen, Boris Brovtsyn, Vladmir Landsmann, Svetlana Makarova, Sol Gabetta, Lawrence Power and Patricia Kopatchinskaja. An advocate of bringing violin music to wider audiences, she regularly collaborates with the music-comedy duo Igudesman & Joo.

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