The INSTRUMENTUM Foundation is a charitable foundation that acquires fine string instruments and loans them, free of charge, to exceptionally talented young musicians. Your donation helps young artists find their voices and keeps masterpieces on stage for generations.
TrustBridge Global
Instruments awarded
Young talents supported
Approximate total funding to date
A fine string instrument can cost a fortune. For young musicians, even the most talented, such sums are out of reach. Yet the instrument shapes their sound, their development and their chances on the concert stage.
This is where we come in. The INSTRUMENTUM Foundation acquires master instruments as permanent assets and loans them free of charge to exceptional young talents. We call this an instrument scholarship. When one musician moves on, the instrument passes to the next.
Guided by years of expertise, we choose outstanding master instruments for the foundation.
Each instrument goes to a qualified young musician, where it can make the greatest difference.
The instrument stays with the foundation and moves on from one talent to the next.
Every instrument is also cultural heritage. We safeguard it for future generations and keep it where it belongs: on stage.
Laura ZarinaCo-founder and Artistic Director, concert violinist
Several instruments are currently being funded. We are open about what every donation pays for.
Help us fund a master cello by Alessandro Ciciliati for the young cellist Unai Sánchez. The funding goal covers:
First-class violins are rare and often unaffordable for young musicians. Your donation goes directly toward:
The violin becomes the property of the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation and remains available to qualified young talents for the long term.
€280,000
€120,000
The musicians we support describe the difference in their own words.
“Compared to my previous violin, the difference is like night and day: incredibly powerful, rich in color, with a very full tone.”
“I can apply less pressure while getting more sound; the sound quality truly improves every single day.”
“The instrument opens up more and more every day. So much new sound is coming out of it right now, a sound I didn’t know before.”
“The carrying power and projection in particular have developed enormously. The sound now fills the room with a presence that truly thrills me.”
Donate any amount online from anywhere in the world, or fund an entire instrument.
Every donation helps us grow our collection of instruments and support as many young talents as possible.
Thanks to our partner TrustBridge, an international platform for charitable giving, you can donate securely from anywhere in the world. Your donation goes to the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation Donor Advised Fund.
From €65,000
With a donation of €65,000 or more, you make an entire instrument scholarship possible and give a young talent the instrument they need.
Do you own a fine string instrument? You can donate it to the foundation, so it continues to be played by talented young musicians. We will gladly explore with you whether and how this is possible.
Talk to usPlease include your name and address so we can thank you and issue a donation receipt. International donors who wish to deduct their donation from taxes, where permitted by law, please donate via TrustBridge.
Founder and Managing Director
Certified Foundation Manager (DSA)
Christian founded the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation in 2024 together with Laura Zarina. He leads the foundation and is the personal point of contact for patrons and partners.
Co-founder and Artistic Director
Concert violinist
As a concert violinist, Laura brings the perspective of the stage to the foundation. She co-founded the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation in 2024 and leads its artistic direction.
In an in-depth conversation with the German trade magazine Hinterlegungsstelle.de, our founder Christian Reister offers insight into what drives the foundation: preserving the value of fine instruments for the long term, and the impact of donations, whether made during one’s lifetime or as part of estate planning.
Our Advisory Board supports the foundation with its professional reputation and network.
Alexander Dimitrov
Anita Gödiker
Cris Auditore Zimmermann
Helga E. Meister
We musicians greatly appreciate the valuable commitment of our patrons. Without this support, many of us would not be able to develop our talents. We thank you with passion, dedication and great joy for being able to experience valuable musical culture every day and pass it on.
Christian Reister
Founder and Managing Director
Certified Foundation Manager (DSA)
Whether you are thinking about a larger donation, a specific project, an instrument in your name or donating one of your own, Christian Reister will take the time to answer your questions personally.
Personal, discreet and with no obligation. Prefer email? Write to info@instrumentum.org
If you donate through our partner TrustBridge, your donation goes to the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation Donor Advised Fund and is tax-deductible for international donors where permitted by law. The rules depend on your country of residence. For bank transfers, we issue a German donation receipt. Whether it is recognized in your country depends on your local tax rules.
The instruments become and remain the property of the INSTRUMENTUM Foundation. We loan them free of charge to qualified young musicians and keep them available to future talents for the long term.
Your donation goes toward the purchase of master instruments, the management of the instrument scholarships, and instrument care, including maintenance and setup, insurance, case and transport.
Yes. The INSTRUMENTUM Foundation gGmbH is a nonprofit organization under German law, founded in Frankfurt am Main in 2024. It is recognized as charitable by the Frankfurt tax office and is a member of the Association of German Foundations (Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen).
Yes. You can donate via TrustBridge from anywhere in the world or transfer your donation directly to our account in Germany. Please include your name and address in the reference.
Yes. With a donation of €65,000 or more, you fund an entire instrument scholarship. On request, your name will be associated with the instrument for the long term. We will gladly discuss the details with you.
Yes. If you or your family own a fine string instrument, you can donate it to the foundation, so it continues to be played by talented young musicians. We will gladly explore with you whether and how a donation is possible.
Help us put fine instruments into the hands of the next generation of musicians.
Photo: Pixabay
