At just 24, this 'extraordinary' L.A. musician plays a violin older than the United States

For years, Colin Maki and his associates — purveyors of immoderate of the finest and rarest violins ever made — had been circling the Playfair, an ultra-rare exemplary crafted by the famed luthier Guarneri “del Gesù” successful 1741. Little is known astir the Playfair’s transition done the centuries, but its illustration suggests a beingness spent moving betwixt talented hands. It was past sold by W.E. Hill & Sons, a storied London shop. From there, Maki says, it passed to “a noteworthy collector, past different one, and past a precise salient musician,” who yet chose to portion with it, relinquishing the instrumentality to Maki and entrusting him to find a subordinate worthy of continuing its legacy.

“An accidental arose,” Maki says, “to play matchmaker.” The creator they landed connected was a 24-year-old from San Gabriel, who plays some violin and piano: Ray Ushikubo.

Ushikubo has performed astatine Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, appeared connected NBC’s “Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” and won galore awards including the Davidson Fellow Laureate Award and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Now comes 1 of his top feats: his debut connected the Playfair, 1 of the astir exceptional instruments successful violin history.

Asked what the Playfair is worth, Maki shakes his head. “I’d alternatively not spell into that, for reasons of discretion.” After a nudge, helium allows only: “It’s good into the 8 figures.”

The 284-year-old violin was made by 1 of the top violin makers of each time, Guarneri “del Gesù”, who is revered alongside Antonio Stradivari.

That specified a violin should aboveground for indebtedness is astonishing enough; that it should beryllium placed with specified a young artist, who has spent astir of his beingness studying astatine the Colburn School crossed the thoroughfare from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, feels momentous.

“The accidental to person entree to a violin of this vintage is truly rather rare,” Maki says. Together with his workfellow Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, Maki began the search. It was Pederzoli who thought of Robert Lipsett — a Colburn teacher who has taught Ushikubo for the past 16 years — and called to inquire who helium would deem worthy of specified an instrument. Within days, they flew Ushikubo retired to play for them.

In Ushikubo they found, arsenic Pederzoli puts it, “not lone an bonzer musician, but idiosyncratic with bonzer character. He has the composure of a instrumentalist good beyond his years.” Ushikubo is charming and affable, with a poise that radiates outward. He sits straight, eyes bright, maintaining interaction with subtle showmanship.

For the past fewer months, helium has been learning the violin’s temperament. “We pass with each other,” helium says. “I say: I privation this, what tin you connection me?” At archetypal they misunderstood each other, arsenic galore caller companions do. But soon the violin seemed to mold itself to him. “When I enactment my chin down, it feels similar I’ve been playing it for years.”

It took immoderate clip for Ray Ushikubo to wrapper his caput astir playing an instrumentality that’s been astir longer than the United States.

He carries it everywhere. He enters Colburn’s 400-capacity Zipper Hall, wherever helium volition debut it connected Dec. 3, with the lawsuit slung lightly connected his back. When helium opens it, the violin gleams with the sheen of a freshly divided chestnut. It is scarcely believable that this instrumentality is 284 years old. Fewer than 200 of these violins were ever made.

“I’m lone 24,” Ushikubo says. “This instrumentality is from 1741. It’s older than the United States. I tin hardly comprehend that magnitude of history.” Then helium smiles. “But mostly I consciousness happiness. And honor. It sounds amended than immoderate violin that’s ever been made.”

Demonstrating the instrument, helium removes his bracelets and jacket, steadies his breath, rests his chin connected the violin arsenic if preparing for impact. Slowly brushing his bow against the instrument, helium closes his eyes, and looks astir connected the verge of tears. His vibrato is disciplined and finely grained; erstwhile helium moves up and down the neck, the question is creaseless arsenic a pitchy level lifting into altitude.

Del Gesù instruments thin to beryllium dark, affluent successful color, with a tremendous powerfulness that fills a hallway with small effort connected the player’s part. Ushikubo remembers tuning the Playfair for the archetypal clip a mates of months ago. “There was a radiance to it that I hardly recognized,” helium says. To trial it, helium played a Tchaikovsky concerto, spanning its precocious and mediate registers, uncovering sounds helium “didn’t adjacent cognize violins were susceptible of.” He describes its palette arsenic chocolate: achromatic to dark, streaked with caramel.

For his debut, Ushikubo volition execute 4 maximalist Romantic pieces: Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s “Chaconne successful G minor,” Nathan Milstein’s “Paganiniana,” Ernest Chausson’s “Poème” and Maurice Ravels’ “Tzigane.” They hint his ain coming of age. “Every 1 of these pieces has made maine grow,” helium says. He admits helium hates practicing. “But these pieces punctual maine wherefore I bash this.”

If Ray Ushikubo has to instrumentality the violin connected indefinite loan, helium said he’d grieve the loss.

His way to this infinitesimal began with a Japanese TV amusement helium watched arsenic a child, featuring a charismatic violinist-pianist helium rapidly came to idolize. He begged his parents for a violin. For his sixth birthday, they bought him a $20 instrumentality from a section shop. Soon they discovered Colburn, and spent years driving him 90 minutes each mode betwixt Riverside and downtown L.A. for lessons, earlier moving to San Gabriel. He studied determination until 17, past went to the Curtis Institute of Music successful Philadelphia and returned to Colburn to prosecute his master’s; he’s present completing his creator diploma, a highly selective post-graduate programme astatine Colburn. A emblematic time of signifier lasts astir 10 hours, divided betwixt soft and violin, an statement that Sel Kardan, president and main enforcement of Colburn, calls “unprecedented.”

Ushikubo is 1 of a fistful of Colburn students poised for lifelong solo oregon enclosure careers. The school’s in-house absorption program, Colburn Artists, aims to shepherd musicians similar him toward nonrecreational life, helping them physique repertoire and signifier his image. Kardan describes Ushikubo arsenic “very compelling onstage, with large virtuosity. He absorbs music.” But adjacent with the school’s infrastructure down him, the acquisition of playing the Playfair exists extracurricular immoderate applicable vocation calculus; it marks an inflection point, a uncommon accidental to inhabit past portion shaping it.

Asked however he’ll consciousness if the indefinite indebtedness of the Playfair ever ends, Ushikubo pauses. “I’ll grieve it,” helium says, mounting the instrumentality down and zipping it backmost up into its case. Although this could beryllium the rarest instrumentality he’ll ever play, helium remains resolute: “For the remainder of my life, I anticipation to observe caller sounds each day.”