The Staff of Givens Violins visited the collections of violins at the Library of Congress and at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. At the Library of Congress, we had the pleasure of seeing and playing the 1733 Guarneri del Gesu violin of Fritz Kreisler. We were also able to play the very famous “Betts” Antonio Stradivari of 1704. At the Smithsonian, curator Gary Sturm showed us four of Stradivari’s decorated violins including: The Sunrise, The Hellier, The Ole Bull and the Greffuhle. It was a remarkable opportunity to have a hands-on experience studying some the finest instruments in existence.

Be sure to check out the article, “History Man”, in the February 2002 issue of The Strad magazine. It is an article about our very own Andrew Dipper and Dipper Restorations.