Bein & Fushi
Since 1976, Bein & Fushi has taken its place as the world’s premier dealer and restorer of fine stringed instruments. We have accomplished this by establishing a firm in the tradition of the greatest shops of the past.
At Bein & Fushi the pulse of the classical music world can be felt. Here, craftsmanship and artistry join forces in an exciting, creative environment. We are dedicated to furthering the arts and preserving the rich legacy of our classical music traditions.
Founded by the late Geoffrey Fushi and Robert Bein, the firm provides unparalleled authentication and expertise. The Bein & Fushi Certificate is sought-after around the world. Bein & Fushi offers the broadest selection of fine antique and modern instruments for students, professionals, and collectors as well as world-class repair and restoration services.
International Clientele
Bein & Fushi’s international clientele includes many of the world’s most distinguished musicians. Names include: Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, Leonidas Kavakos, Nigel Kennedy, Anne-Sophie Mutter, James Ehnes, Gidon Kremer, Isaac Stern, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, and Ruggiero Ricci.
Unparalleled Selection
Many of the most celebrated violins, violas, and cellos by the legendary Italian master makers and French bow makers of the past have been entrusted to our firm. Makers include Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, Carlo Bergonzi, François Xavier Tourte, and Dominique Peccatte.
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The Stradivari Society
The Stradivari Society was founded in 1985 by Bein & Fushi and Mary Galvin with the encouragement of the legendary Dorothy DeLay. The Stradivari Society is dedicated to the preservation and pursuit of excellence in classical music by identifying the most promising artists and uniting them with the finest instruments. The Stradivari Society has helped launch the careers of many of today’s brilliant artists to the benefit and enrichment of listening audiences world-wide.
The organization has assisted leading teachers with loans of great Italian antique instruments to their most accomplished students. Teachers include Zakhar Bron, Midori, Robert Lipsett, Hyo Kang, Ida Kavafian, Miriam Fried, and the late Dorothy DeLay.
The Society has provided outstanding international performance opportunities to its recipients. Tours countries have included China, Korea, and France. Tours have featured many Society artists, rare violin exhibitions, lectures and recitals. Recitals have taken place at the Supreme Court, Library of Congress and important music venues in Moscow and Beijing. Recitals have also taken place at Zhong Nan Hai, the Chinese “White House,” Tokyo, London, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
For over twenty years, the Society hosted an annual series of master classes led by esteemed teachers and international soloists including Ruggiero Ricci, Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Repin, Robert Lipsett, Joseph Silverstein, and Vadim Gluzman.
Current and former Society recipients include many of today’s foremost artists including Vadim Gluzman, Midori, Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Maxim Vengerov, Gil Shaham, Vadim Repin, Kyoko Takezawa, Augustin Hadelich, and Philippe Quint.
To learn more about becoming a Stradivari Society patron, contact Paige bBen-Dashan, Executive Director, at 312-663-0150 or at paige@stradivarisociety.com.
Books & Recordings
Bein & Fushi has produced and published several groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed books and recordings:
The Miracle Makers: Stradivari • Guarneri • Oliveira
The Miracle Makers: Stradivari • Guarneri • Oliveira, a coffee-table sized book and three-CD set, compares and contrasts thirty exquisite violins by Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. It was named “The year’s best classical release.
” Perhaps the most opulent book and CD set ever published. The performances are exceptional in themselves, quite apart from the project’s historic worth. This is an absolute must for fiddle fanciers, while more general music lovers will learn as they listen.”
— John von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune, 1999
“It’s hard to imagine that any future book about violins will not be judged by this epoch-defining standard.”
— Robert Maxham, Fanfare
How Many Strads? Our Heritage from the Master
The enlarged and expanded edition of the classic reference “How Many Strads? Our Heritage from the Master” by Ernest Doring was lauded by Robert Maxham of Fanfare:
“Collectors have deemed Doring’s original edition worthy of bids well over $1000, but very little of that value comes from its brittle binding, yellowed paper, typography, or photography. It’s the book’s soul that matters. And Bein & Fushi have enshrined that soul in a new ‘enlarged and expanded’ edition that preserves all that was good in the original and enhances much that wasn’t. The final result is sumptuous, to say the least.”
— Robert Maxham, Fanfare
Monographs
Monographs of the “King Joseph” Guarneri del Gesù violin of 1737 and the “Primrose” viola by Andrea Guarneri of 1697.
Our Shop
The company’s elegant antique and memorabilia-filled showrooms overlook beautiful Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. We are located on the 10th floor of Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building at 410 South Michigan Avenue.
Our Expert Sales Staff
Please let us know of your requirements, and our expert sales staff will do their utmost to find just the right instrument or bow for you.
Gabriel Ben-Dashan, Owner and Executive Director
John Gerson, Sr. Sales Executive