Ruggero Allifranchini

Ruggero Allifranchini of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra discusses his violins. More

As Associate Concertmaster of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Ruggero Allifranchini says, "You don't get good wine by aging vinegar for many years. It is still vinegar." Good music starts with a good violin. Here, Allifranchini talks about his Stradivarius and Zygmuntowicz violins, what they bring to the music he plays and how they influence his life. ARTIST BIO Ruggero Allifranchini is the Associate Concertmaster of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO.) He was born into a musical household in Milan, Italy and raised on a diverse musical diet, ranging from Beethoven to John Coltrane. In 1984, he studied at the New School in Philadelphia with Jascha Brodsky and later at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Szymon Goldberg and chamber music with Felix Galimir. In 1988, he received the Diploma d'Onore from the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy. In 1989, he co-founded the Borromeo String Quartet, with whom he played exclusively for eleven years. (Fun fact: Alligranchini was a jazz drummer for many years.)

AIR DATE 5/13/10