A young artist worthy of a priceless violin

Ray Ushikubo, 24, will be performing in L.A. on the Playfair, made by Guarneri ‘del Gesù.’

- EMMA MADDEN

For years, Colin Maki and his associates — purveyors of some of the finest and rarest violins ever made — had been circling the Playfair, an ultrarare model crafted by the famed luthier Guarneri “del Gesù” in 1741.

Little is known about the Playfair’s passage through the centuries, but its profile suggests a life spent moving between gifted hands. It was last sold by W.E. Hill & Sons, a storied London shop. From there, Maki says, it passed to “a noteworthy collector, then another one, and then a very prominent musician,” who eventually chose to part with it, relinquishing the instrument to Maki and entrusting him to find a player worthy of continuing its legacy.

“An opportunity arose,” Maki says, “to play matchmaker.” The artist they landed on was a 24-year-old from San Gabriel, who plays both violin and piano: Ray Ushikubo.

Ushikubo has performed at Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, appeared on NBC's “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and won numerous awards including the Davidson Fellow Laureate Award and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Now comes one of his greatest feats: his debut on the Playfair, one of the most exceptional instruments in violin history.

Asked what the Playfair is worth, Maki shakes his head. "I'd rather not go into that, for reasons of discretion." After a nudge, he allows only: "It's well into the eight figures."

That such a violin should surface for loan is astonishing enough; that it should be placed with such a young artist, who has spent most of his life studying at the Colburn School across the street from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, feels momentous.