The Stradivari Trust
syndicates help some
of Britain’s finest
musicians

Putting the world’s
finest stringed
instruments into the
hands of exceptional
British Musicians

The Stradivari Trust
supporting a legacy
of fine music played
on fine instruments

“The String Competition Final takes place on 6 May 2026 at Hughes Hall, Cambridge”

Three very talented student string players will perform in the final of our inaugural string competition on Wednesday, 6 May 2026. The event starts at 6pm and is open to the public, please let us know if you would like to attend. Contact admin@stradivaritrust.org

We hope to see you there!”

Tara Spencer, violin

Colin Kang, double bass

Tabitha Appel, violin

40 years of schemes!

The Stradivari Trust has been putting together syndicates that acquire fine instruments for exceptional young professional artists for 40 years, 60 such schemes to date.. The requirement for this is clear: the fine instrument market has been appreciating at around 4-5% over this period but musicians’ incomes haven’t, and anyway no young artist at the start of their performing career can aspire to the tool they need in order to reach their full potential. Our syndicates of Contributors bridge this gap as well as watching their chosen artist flourish and enjoy any growth in value of the instrument over the nominal 20-year term of each scheme.

The limit to the Trust’s work are Contributors’ funds. Hence we are always seeking new Contributors. If this could be you, please contact Dr Sibylle Jackson.

Become a Contributor

For over 30 years the Stradivari Trust has been helping some of Britain’s most talented musicians to acquire their own fine stringed instruments.

Tabitha Appel – violin

Tabitha Appel is in her final year at St John’s College, reading music, whilst studying violin with David Takeno. She performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, and participates in international masterclasses and chamber music courses. As a soloist she has performed multiple concerti with local orchestras in Oxford including by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Saint-Saëns. In 2023 she won the Oxford Philharmonic Junior Concerto Competition. Tabitha led the National Youth Orchestra GB in its 2021 season. Her piano trio, on the Instrumental Award Scheme, have been selected to perform at the upcoming University Showcase recital at Wigmore Hall.

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Colin Kang – double bass

Colin Kang is a second-year music undergraduate at Clare College, Cambridge. An alumnus of the Yehudi Menuhin School, he studied double bass with Caroline Emery, Professor of Double Bass at the Royal College of Music and Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. He has served as principal bass with the Royal College of Music Junior Department Symphony Orchestra, Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra (2023), and first desk at Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Young (2022), performing under conductors including James Gaffigan and Gustavo Gimeno. Colin has also pursued conducting studies, participating in Maestro Rudiger Bohn's masterclass at the Allegra Festival 2024 and 2025 in Sofia, where he conducted the festival orchestra.

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Tara Spencer – violin

Tara is a second year at Churchill studying French and German. She holds a University Instrumental Award and is the Leader of CUO. Prior to university, Tara had multiple solo engagements including performing Tartini's Devil's Trill in St George's Chapel, as part of the Windsor Festival, and Dvorak's Violin Concerto with Reading Symphony Orchestra, as the winner of their Young Musicians’ Competition. She was a member of NYO for two years and was appointed Co-Leader for her second year. In this role, she led a quartet for various fundraising events, and featured with the quartet in a live broadcast on Radio 3.

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