Samuel Zygmuntowicz

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Samuel Zygmuntowicz (b. 1956) is a contemporary violinmaker. He was already an artist prize winner before beginning his instrument making training when he was 15 years old.

Zygmuntowicz was born in Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City. Later he received five years of additional training in the restoration workshop of Jacques Français and René Morel. Since 1985 he is based in Brooklyn, New York, making replicas of classic instruments.^[1]

Isaac Stern owned two of his violins. After Stern died in 2001, both violins were sold at a Tarisio auction in 2003. Each violin surpassed the previous record for the highest price paid for a string instrument by a living maker at auction.^[2] One of the instruments sold in 2003 was a Guarneri-model violin made by Zymuntowics in 1994 for Stern. That 1994 violin currently holds the record for the highest price paid for a string instrument by a living maker at auction. The violin was sold by Tariso for $130,000 plus buyer's premium.^[3]

[edit] References

1. ^ Marchese, 2007
2. ^ Strings Magazine, February 2006
3. ^ Tarisio Web site

¹Marchese, John (2007). The Violin Maker. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780060012670. 

²Schrader, Erin (February 2006). A Confluence of Confluences. String Letter Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.

³Cohen, Donald (2006). The Red Book. Tarisio. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.