Alf Studios Fellowship
For over fifty years, Gregg T. Alf has crafted violins that have helped musicians find their true voice. The Fellowship is our flagship initiative: each edition, one young violinist is entrusted with a Gregg T. Alf Concert Violin from The Fellowship Series, up to a long-term loan of ten years.
Student | Mentor | Patron | Maker
A tradition already at work
At the 1998 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, many finalists performed on historic Cremonese instruments. Svetlin Roussev, now among the most recognised violinists of his generation, arrived with a borrowed 1650 Niccolò Amati, but on reaching the finals he re-evaluated his sound. After reviewing instruments that Gregg Alf had brought to the competition, he chose an Alf violin modeled after the Heifetz Guarneri del Gesù to replace the Amati for the final week.
The decision paid off: Roussev won multiple prizes, and supporters in Indianapolis raised a fund so he could take the Alf home — the violin he owns today.
This is the quiet tradition the Alf Studios Fellowship gives clear shape to: a great instrument placed at the right moment, made possible by committed supporters, with impact that resonates across seasons and stages.
The Fellowship
Student | Mentor | Patron | Maker
The Fellowship is a circle of forces that together create something rare and lasting.
It is a commitment to nurture artistry at a decisive moment in a young musician’s life — a decade where talent must be matched with the right instrument in order to flourish.
It is a Fellowship because it is shared. Student, mentor, patron, and maker stand together in this act of trust. Each plays a part, and each becomes part of the story. The Fellowship is, by design, a joining of forces that ensures one violin each year will carry not only sound, but legacy.
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A young musician of exceptional promise who receives a Gregg T. Alf Concert Violin for up to ten years at the most formative stage of their career. This is more than an instrument on loan; it is an opportunity to shape their voice and be heard at a new level, supported by those who believe in their potential. Among the considerations for The Fellowship is that it reach a musician who might not otherwise have the chance to play such a violin, ensuring that the opportunity truly serves a transformative purpose.
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The guiding teacher whose insight and trust make the nomination possible. Each mentor may nominate one student per edition for consideration. The mentor is not in the background but at the heart of The Fellowship, recognized for the years of careful work that prepared the student for this moment. Their role is preserved within the instrument, ensuring their teaching remains part of the violin’s story.
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The individual who commissions the violin, making it a reality. The patron holds ownership of a rare and valuable Alf instrument, yet by entrusting it to The Fellowship, they transform it into a living legacy.
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The maker and steward of the instrument. From Gregg Alf’s hand and vision comes a violin born into this series, built with the patience and depth of his fifty years of craft. Alf Studios ensures not only the making but also the care, documentation, and preservation of The Fellowship’s growing archive.
Mentor Recognition
This initiative honors the mentors whose trust and guidance make each nomination possible. Every Fellow carries forward their mentor’s influence, and each instrument’s story begins with that act of recognition.
Mentors become part of the programme’s living record, their role documented alongside the musician and the violin itself. In this way, each edition also celebrates the artistry of teaching — the quiet foundation of every great performance.
The Concert Violin
Each year, The Fellowship entrusts a Gregg T. Alf Concert Violin crafted expressly for this programme. Part of the numbered Fellowship Series, each violin bears a discreet dedication within and belongs to a lineage that will remain rare and carefully documented.
The instrument is built on Gregg Alf’s personal Guarneri del Gesù model — a form shaped by decades of study of the great classical masters, yet carrying Gregg Alf’s unmistakable artistry. It is a true Concert Violin: resonant, responsive, and designed to carry in the hall with clarity, power, and depth of tone.
Entrusted to The Fellowship recipient for up to ten years, the violin remains under clear terms of care and responsibility, with full insurance and regular check-ups. From the selection of maple and spruce to the final coats of varnish, every step of its making is considered and unhurried, undertaken for a single purpose: to allow a young artist to be heard with their own voice at new heights.
Together on the Journey
Nominations open in November 2025 and remain open through early 2026.
Learn more by signing our form.