Kolstein’s aids musicians with concert series

Kolstein & Son Violinmakers on Foxhurst Road in Baldwin has managed to not only stay afloat, but also continue with its charitable efforts of the Musician’s Relief Fund through the Living Room Concert Series.

The series allows artists to submit videos around the world to Kolstein’s, and then the artists selected are paid $200 for a 30- to 60-minute session. “This is in order for them [musicians] to make money and not need to come here,” said Manny Alavarez, the owner.

Kolstein’s has recorded 10 performances with over 20 musicians, and the store incurs the cost of recording, editing, advertising and promotion of these videos.

Some of the featured artists, whose performances in this series can be viewed on Youtube and livestreamed through Kolstein’s own website, are Miles Gilbert and the Taxter Factor, Arild Andersen from Norway, Lynn Seaton and Davy Mooney, among others. On August 4, Dominic Duval Jr. and Vincent Locciano will be the next featured artists.

The Living Room Series, which began a couple of months ago, follows several remote concerts the violin shop hosted from their venue adjacent to the store to bring classical music to the masses and simultaneously help these artists economically, as all donations went to the artists who are paid per $200 per hour.

“We helped over 67 musicians, from July 2020 to February of this year,” Alvarez said of the remote concert series. “We raised over $17,000.”

Musician Roni Ben-Hur told the Herald when this series first was instituted, “Artists, we don’t stop practicing…The world needs to get it, that we are working throughout all this time. We are working, we are learning, we are practicing.”

“Without any of this going on for them — television, music or anything during this part of it — especially when everybody was really locked down, what would they have?” musician Matt Wilson added.

Just recently, Kolstein’s has partnered with the Marriot Central Park Hotel at 58th Street to host artists to play at the lobby for the Musician’s Relief Fund. The hotel sponsored 50 percent of the cost of the musician as well as vouchers for food and drinks at a discounted price at their restaurant. This will be open to the public every Friday at 7 p.m. till Labor Day.

“Traveling got a little bit difficult, and we saw the opportunity to go to our clients,” Alvarez said. “We also wanted to help the local community there because everything is still closed, Carnegie is still closed, and Broadway is still closed.”

Alvarez says that since the beginning of the pandemic their mentality has been to meet the client where they are at, “We want to create an experience for every client…What you get here is custom greeting and curations of instruments…You’re not just buying an instrument, you’re getting an education, and creating a relationship.”

They also opened a second location in Roosevelt Field Mall during the pandemic.

“All we are doing is continuing our course straight ahead,” Manny Alvarez said about managing a business during the pandemic. “We have a very clear direction as to who our clients are…Since 1943 we have been doing violins, viola, cellos, their accessories and nothing else. We have never branched out, and we don’t intend to.”