Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Musical Instrument Bank has been supporting young talent with exceptional string instruments for 40 years.
The Musical Instrument Bank (MIB) was established in 1985 thanks to generous donors. More than 20 stringed instruments created by such master craftsmen as Stradivari, Gagliano and Pressenda have been donated or lent to the MIB.
Through a triennial competition, the Canada Council for the Arts enables established soloists and chamber musicians, as well as musicians on the threshold of an international career, to access these high-quality stringed instruments, give concerts around the world and record pieces with them during the length of the loan. The MIB’s loan program contributes to the career advancement of musicians and offers various high-profile opportunities for partnership and public engagement.
In this video, former MIB recipients Noémie Raymond-Friset and Timothy Chooi, as well as Ric W. Heinl, luthier for the MIB, reflect on the ways in which gaining access to such exceptional instruments can have a transformative impact on emerging musicians from Canada.
Please like and share this video and subscribe to the Canada Council’s channel to support the arts in Canada.
The Musical Instrument Bank has been supporting young talent with exceptional string instruments for 40 years.
The Musical Instrument Bank (MIB) was established in 1985 thanks to generous donors. More than 20 stringed instruments created by such master craftsmen as Stradivari, Gagliano and Pressenda have been donated or lent to the MIB.
Through a triennial competition, the Canada Council for the Arts enables established soloists and chamber musicians, as well as musicians on the threshold of an international career, to access these high-quality stringed instruments, give concerts around the world and record pieces with them during the length of the loan. The MIB’s loan program contributes to the career advancement of musicians and offers various high-profile opportunities for partnership and public engagement.
In this video, former MIB recipients Noémie Raymond-Friset and Timothy Chooi, as well as Ric W. Heinl, luthier for the MIB, reflect on the ways in which gaining access to such exceptional instruments can have a transformative impact on emerging musicians from Canada.
Please like and share this video and subscribe to the Canada Council’s channel to support the arts in Canada.
