DIFFERENT STROKES: Cellist Soni Siecinski performs alongside Raphaël Pidoux on a left-handed cello designed and built for him in two weeks. The 18-year-old, who was born with two fingers on his left hand, received the instrument on 23 June at the climax of the Festival de La Grange de Meslay, where five luthiers collaborated on making the cello. Adjustments were made to the bridge, neck and bass-bar, and the strings set up in reverse order. The instrument was commissioned by Talents et violoncelles, an organisation founded by Pidoux ten years ago to help young players gain access to good instruments. Photo: Gerard Proust