“Professional players and amateurs will come in and ask us to source a violin for them, usually with a wish list. They’ll have a budget of, say, £20,000 ($26,895) and want an instrument with provenance, a specific maker, date, and country of origin.” The search is global, and certain models are hard to find, but Stowe loves the chase. “When I find just what a client is looking for, I get a buzz from it. It’s wonderful to see an owner united with their dream instrument.”
