The Stauffer Foundation is one of the most active Italian private institutions devoted to the promotion of musical culture.
It was established in 1970 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Walter Stauffer, a patron of Italian-Swiss origin, deeply attached to Cremona and committed to the conservation of its cultural heritage. The statutory purposes of the Foundation are aimed at promoting in the city of Cremona the teaching of string instruments, musicological research and the violin making tradition that has made the Lombard city famous all over the world.
1985 saw the creation of the Stauffer Academy, aimed at supporting the artistic growth of young and promising string instrumentalists through the activation of performance-oriented courses.
In addition to music education activities, the Stauffer Foundation supports some of Cremona’s major musical institutions, including the International School of Violin Making, the “Museo del Violino Antonio Stradivari” Foundation, the “Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli” Foundation and the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage of the University of Pavia.
The Foundation owns a collection of exceptionally valuable historical instruments, exhibited at the Violin Museum in Cremona: the “Stauffer” – Guarneri del Gesù violin (1734), the Enrico Ceruti violin (1868), the “Stauffer” – Gerolamo Amati viola (1615), the “Stauffer – ex Cristiani” – Antonio Stradivari cello (1700).
