A free, international public registry for fine instruments is to be launched in early 2022. Currently undergoing beta testing, the registry is an initiative of the Ne York-based Si-Yo Music Society Foundation.
The registry is intended as a free-to-use resource of information for collectors, investors, instrument makers, buyers, sellers, researchers, insurers and arts institutions. Each record will include the name of the instrument’s maker, the year it was made, photos and dimension measurements. Anyone wishing to add information to the registry will go through a strict vetting process. Si-Yo has begun the process with information on several hundred stringed instruments and bows from museums and private collections. It is also working wit museums including Cremona’s Museo del Violino with the aim of having the registry as a backup archive for their databases.