(c) Martin Hoffmeister
In early 2022 the New York based Si-Yo Music Society Foundation will launch the Si-Yo Fine Instrument Registry™ (SY FIR™), a free, international public registry that will be an informational and educational resource for collectors, investors, makers, buyers, sellers, researchers, insurers and arts institutions.
The registry addresses a longstanding problem, the Foundation says. Information about fine instruments is often difficult to find and is sometimes from questionable or unknown sources, leaving members of the fine instrument community uncertain as to their value, history, authenticity and structural integrity.
“Tragically, the records for numerous fine instruments have been lost over many generations due to upheaval from plagues, wars and natural disasters,” says Eva Lerner-Lam, Si-Yo chairwoman and president. “Some have simply been thrown out by those who didn’t recognize their significance. It’s incredible that automotive vehicles are routinely listed on registries but not fine instruments.”
After a strict vetting process, those who wish to list an instrument on the registry will provide information including the name of the maker, the year that it was made, photos and dimension measurements. Si-Yo will store this data on a cybersecure, independently managed system that is blockchain-ready.
Having already populated SY FIR™ with information on several hundred stringed instruments and bows from museums and private collections, Si-Yo is testing its functionality with a multidisciplinary group of beta testers to prepare for the launch; it is also working with museums—including Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy—to arrange for SY FIR™ to be a backup archive for their databases.
