About Instrument Loan Project
Nippon Music Foundation launched the Instrument Loan Project in 1994 to make greater contributions towards the field of classical music. The Foundation has now come to own 21 instruments made by Antonio Stradivari and Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù and loans them gratis to young promising musicians and internationally active musicians regardless of their nationalities.
Application for 2023 Instrument Loan (Category A・B Violin)※Closed
Category A
- Eligibility
- 35 years old or under as of 1 September 2023
- Length of Loan
- Minimum of 2 years, Maximum of 7 years
(To be informed in the result)
- Application Period
- Wed 1 March 2023 - Sat 15 April 2023
- Application
- See Step 1 "Application" below
- Result
- To be notified approximately 1 month
after the Instrument Loan Committee Meeting
Category B
- Eligibility
- Performing mainly in Japan and 35 years old
or under as of 1 September 2023
- Length of Loan
- Minimum of 2 years, Maximum of 3 years
(To be informed in the result )
- Application Period
- Wed 1 March 2023 - Sat 15 April 2023
- Application
- See Step 1 "Application" below
- Result
- To be notified approximately 1 month
after the Instrument Loan Committee Meeting
Application for Category C
※Please contact the Foundation first before submitting an application.
- Eligibility
- Must have a specific purpose of activities
(Recording, Competition, Anniversary Concert,
Special Concert, Debut Concert etc.)
- Length of Loan
- Up to 1 year (To be informed in the result )
- Application Period
- Within 1 year prior to the requested start date of the loan
- Application
- See Step 1 "Application" below
- Result
- To be notified about 1 month prior to
the requested start date of the loan
*Requires about 1 month for examination
Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition (Category D)
Since 1997, Nippon Music Foundation has loaned the Stradivarius 1708 Violin "Huggins" to the Grand Prize winners of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium held in Brussels.
*Applicants can apply for both A and B.
*Re-applying for the Category C is possible after two years from the end date of the loan for those who have or had the loan of the Category C.
STEP.1Application
If you would like to apply for the loan, please send the following application materials to the Foundation. Please note that the submitted materials will not be returned.
- 1．
- Application (
Form for age over 20 /
Form for age 19 or under)
- 2．
- Two Recommendation Letters addressed to Nippon Music Foundation
- 3．
- Biography
- 4．
- Performance Schedule of the Past One Year and the Next One Year
- 5．
- Repertoire
- 6．
- Photography
- 7．
- Reviews and Articles (Maximum of 3 articles)
- 8．
- 3 Audiovisual Recordings of Your Playing (see the list of repertoire and details in the Application Form)
Send to- Nippon Music Foundation
Akasaka 1-2-2 Minato-kuTokyo 107-0052 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-6229-5566Email: info@nmf.or.jp
STEP.2Screening (Instrument Loan Committee)
The Instrument Loan Committee is responsible for selecting recipients of the instruments. The Committee is composed of members representing Europe, the United States and Asia.
Members
- Count Yvan de Launoit
- Vice President of The Queen Elisabeth
International Music Competition, Belgium
- Mari Fujiwara
- Cellist
- Sir Clive Gillinson, CBE
- Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall
- Koichiro Harada
- Violinist, Professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music,
Professor at Tokyo College of Music
- Shinichiro Ikebe
- Composer
- Kim Kashkashian
- Violist, Professor at New England Conservatory
- Ida Kavafian
- Violinist, Professor at The Juilliard School,
Professor at Curtis Institute of Music
- Jonathan Nott
- Conductor
STEP.3Result
A written notification will be sent to the address on the application.
NOTICE:
The applicant who has been selected as a recipient of the Foundation's instrument is required to sign the Loan Agreement and take proper care of the instrument by observing the terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement. Some of the basic requirements as the recipient are - reporting on the use of the instrument, placing the instrument in the care of the instrument dealers designated by the Foundation every three months for its condition checks, and performing gratis for the Foundation. The recipient who resides outside of Japan must import the instrument to Japan before the expiration of the ATA Carnet ※.
※ATA Carnet:
Nippon Music Foundation provides the ATA Carnet to the recipients of the Foundation's instruments for the purposes of facilitating the customs clearance procedure, avoiding the seizure of the instrument and charges (import taxes, penalties etc.) at the customs. The ATA Carnet is an international customs and export-import document to clear customs without paying duties and import taxes.
