Nathan milstein stradivarius

Two-piece curly maple of broad figure extending downwards from the center joint.
Kohl purchased the ancient instrument for an undisclosed price in 2006 from Nathan Milstein who had kept steward of this particular Strad for forty years.
300 people gathered to celebrate the 300th birthday of the Golden-Period violin, made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 in Cremona, Italy.

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Happy 300th Birthday to the 'Milstein' Stradivarius!

Laurie Niles

July 23, 2016, 5:45 PM · Bringing the "Milstein" Stradivarius to California has changed Jerry Kohl's life.

That is what Kohl told 300 people gathered to celebrate the 300th birthday of the Golden-Period violin, made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 in Cremona, Italy. The celebration concert, featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster Martin Chalifour, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and LACO conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, took place at the Huntington Library and Gardens' new Rothenberg Hall. Other fine instruments in attendance included the 1711 "Kreisler" Strad that Chalifour regularly plays, and the 1650 Nicolo Amati composite, with a table by Stradivari, played by Batjer.

Jerry Kohl, Margaret Batjer and Martin Chalifour. Photo by Violinist.com.

"It's changed my life, because they're magical," said Kohl, who is owner and president of accessories retailer Brighton. Watching his Strad on stage is a little bit like watching one's kid in a school play, "My child's o

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Notes:

"Kohl eventually enlisted the help of LA Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour and LA Chamber Orchestra concertmaster Margaret Batjer, who together spent about eight hours testing eight different Stradivari violins at LA's Disney Hall. The violins came from all over the world; two from Chicago, three from London, two from Austria and one, Jack Benny's violin, from Los Angeles.

"They played all day long," Kohl explained to Wednesday's audience. Though the dealers did not disclose the provenance of any of the violins, Kohl said that Batjer was overwhelmed with emotion upon taking the 1716 Milstein Strad from its case. . . .

Kohl purchased the violin from the Milstein family, through Charles Beare of Beare's in London, for an undisclosed price."

The Milstein Strad moves to Pasadena

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The Priceless Milstein Stradivarius Violin

The Milstein is a playable Stradivarius violin that is currently owned by Jerry Kohl of Pasadena, California, but currently lives in its own temperature-controlled vault at the Disney Concert Hall. Kohl purchased the ancient instrument for an undisclosed price in 2006 from Nathan Milstein who had kept steward of this particular Strad for forty years. Essentially, the Milstein had to audition in order to be sold to Kohl who tested eight different Stradivarius violins at LA’s Disney Hall with the help of professional violinist, Margaret Batjer.

The violins came from all over the world; two from Chicago, three from London, two from Austria and one from Los Angeles. Apparently, when Margaret Batjer picked up the 1716 Milstein Strad from its case, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Batjer reportedly recognized the violin because of its distinctive look, with striped wood on the back and black “dimples.” She knew it was an extra-special violin as it had been played by one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, Nathan Milstein.