At the end of August we took our two music-mad teenagers to Cardiff Violins to hopefully buy violas and possibly a cello. Both play in County Orchestras and had just completed their Grade 5 and both have been saving for nearly 3 years (as well as having some parental contributions). Cecile had spent some time on the phone with me prior to our visit, but neither my husband nor I play a stringed instrument (or any instrument) and did not really know what to expect.
The range of violas in our price range, the patience, and enthusiasm with which Cecile helped the girls try out the instruments and guided us through the process made this an amazing afternoon for all of us – and the girls have beautiful instruments they will treasure for years to come. Oh – and a cello which has since been named “Fred” :).
Although we live several hours away, we will be coming back to Cardiff on a regular basis to make sure the instruments are looked after properly and continue to sound as amazing as they do now.