The instrument is the only known cello by Pietro Guarneri of Mantua and was owned by Ronald Leonard for 60 years
Cellist Austin Huntington, currently principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, has been awarded an extended loan of the only known cello by Pietro Guarneri of Mantua, made in 1695 and owned by cellist and pedagogue Ronald Leonard.
Huntington studied with Leonard as a teenager at the Perlman Music Program and later as an undergraduate at the Colburn School, where he became familiar with this instrument.
’I am beyond honoured to be entrusted with this cello,’ Huntington said. ’This is the very sound I imagine when I think of the perfect cello. I grew up musically listening to this cello across from me in lessons every week, and it has been a huge part of my development as a cellist. In every possible way, it is my dream cello.’
Leonard commented: ’I am delighted that Austin, who is a wonderful cellist, will have the use of the cello for at least three years.
’He has shown over the last few years how dedicated and serious a musician he is, and he continues to grow artistically. I hope this cello will help him gain the recognition he so deserves.’
Leonard had a six-decade relationship with the cello. In 1964, he was teaching at the Eastman School of Music and decided that he wanted a better cello. The 1695 Pietro Guarneri of Mantua cello, which had formerly belonged to Luigi Silva, came up for sale following Silva’s death.
’[Silva’s] widow wanted to sell it,’ said Leonard. ’However, she did not want to sell it through a dealer, nor did she want to let anyone take it out of her apartment, so I went to her apartment in New York, tried the cello, loved it, and bought it after playing on it for a few hours. It was my companion for about 60 years.’
The loan was facilitated by the Rare Violins of New York’s ’In Consortium’ Artists and Benefactors Collaborative Program.
Huntington was appointed principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20, making him one of the youngest principal musicians in a major American orchestra. He is a former first-prize winner of the Stulberg and Irving M. Klein International Competitions and has appeared as guest principal cellist with the San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, and Florida Orchestra.
Read: The hidden treasures of Pietro Guarneri of Mantua
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