The Los Angeles Violin Shop Foundation (LAVSF), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was founded in 2020 to expand awareness of and appreciation for classical music. The LAVSF provides services and funding for classical music education, research, performances, and artists to benefit listeners and learners alike. Current projects include an instrument loan program, grants for education and career development, and a supplemental after-school music curriculum for strings that is focused on supporting communities historically underrepresented within the Symphonic Orchestra.
The LAVS Foundation’s Instrument Loan Program allows young artists to benefit from the use of high-quality instruments that otherwise would not be available to them. The goal of this program is to unite talented students and young professional artists with instruments of a quality that encourages their growth as musicians and enables them to communicate more effectively through their music. Instruments currently on loan range from fine student level violins and violas to antique bows and the rarest of vintage concert instruments.
In addition to costs covered by traditional scholarships, a young musician’s expenses as a student and as an aspiring professional can be sizable. The LAVS Foundation’s Education and Career Grants help with expenses such as accompanists’ fees, sheet music purchase, travel expenses to competitions, and audition recording sessions. Grants are given to young artists between the ages of 10 and 24 on the basis of great musical talent and accomplishment, artistic aspirations, serious financial need, and merit of the grant request.