In 2023, the National Music Museum welcomed a remarkable collection of stringed instruments once owned by the late cellist and collector Robert Cancelosi, DMA. Entrusted to the NMM by his son, Ken Cancelosi, in memory of his father. “To all teachers and students called to perform and study the art of music, I give these tools to you,” said Ken Cancelosi. “I hope these diverse sounds and the music they create inspire you, as they did my father.”

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Initially, the collection included five cellos, 27 bows, archival materials, and a Hawaiian guitar that Robert Cancelosi played as a child. Since then, the collection has continued to grow, thanks to the generosity of Ken Cancelosi, Paul Becker of Carl Becker and Son, and other supporters, including Pirastro, which has contributed chin rests, strings to help maintain the instruments in optimal playing condition.