USask music inspires the world
Over the course of decades, thousands of people in Saskatchewan and far beyond have further developed their appreciation for music thanks to key USask initiatives.
Currently, visitors to the university’s Saskatoon campus can hear concerts presented by outstanding musicians performing with some of the finest string instruments in the world—an opportunity that is uniquely USask.
The Amati instruments were hand-crafted in the 1600s in Italy by the Amati family—considered the first great luthiers—who made some of the world’s most sought-after instruments, with many selling for more than a million dollars. USask’s four Amati instruments—a viola, a cello, and two violins— were acquired over a five-year period in the 1950s by Saskatchewan farmer and amateur collector Steve Kolbinson. In 1959, Kolbinson offered the priceless collection to the university for a nominal fee of only $20,000, with the stipulation that the instruments would be used in ways to benefit the people of the province.