Who We Are

Our Mission

Strumenti helps string musicians access the violins, violas, and cellos they need to advance their careers, by providing a platform to co-purchase these fine instruments together with their patrons. 

The Problem

Traditionally, violinists, violists and cellists have depended on loans from collections of the ultra-wealthy. But this doesn’t often make for an ideal match of instrument and musician. Strumenti solves this problem for musicians. All our instruments are chosen by the artists, who engage with their patrons to help acquire them.

Our Solution

Strumenti enables patron-investors to invest in shares of fine stringed instruments (violins, violas and cellos) — with the assurance that they will be used by the musicians they support.

Moreover, when a musician has an instrument loan from a collector, the original owner keeps all the equity and value appreciation of that instrument. With Strumenti, the musician can share in the opportunity to generate wealth and financial security.

The musician gets a double benefit - both a better-matched instrument to help them sound their best, and a chance to enjoy in the wealth creation of owning an appreciable asset.

We prioritize artists who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them and who need to gain access to exceptional instruments for career development. Patron-investors and the general public will of course have opportunities to hear these artists and instruments in performance.

Our Hope

We aim to spark a rebirth in popularity and viability of string music by increasing investors’ and artists’ access to fine instruments. Patron-investors are not just making sound financial investments, they are also “invested” in the music itself, creating a whole new reason to attend live performances.

Public Benefit Company

Strumenti.com intends to become a certified Benefit Company, which means we are legally required to consider the impact of our decisions on all of our stakeholders. That includes our patron-investors, our recipient musicians, and the broader community, in addition to our employees and our principals.

About the Founders

Co-founders Jim and Steve were each independently thinking about a daunting problem: The value of rare fine stringed instruments has increased so rapidly that their cost had become out of reach for talented musicians who could best play them. Jim had long wanted to create a vehicle that would increase musicians’ access to these instruments, which were increasingly being snapped up by private investors and museums. Steve had the realization that by “crowdfunding” the acquisition of these instruments, they could engage larger numbers of patrons and increase the impact of their mission.

Steve Obenski

Co-Founder, Managing Director

Steve Obenski is an entrepreneur and former lawyer with a passion for disrupting traditional industries with breakthrough ideas and technologies. He was an early leader at Kira Systems, a technology platform for legal due diligence, which is credited with changing the way lawyers review contracts and was sold to Litera Microsystems. Meanwhile, Steve was a co-founder and Board Chair of a nonprofit orchestral music organization, where he pushed to broaden the role of audience revenue in the business model. Steve has also held leadership and strategy roles at Thomson Reuters and IBM, and practiced law at several large international firms, with a focus on regulated industries and technology transactions. He holds his law degree from UCLA, an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and an A.B. in Cultural Anthropology and English Literature from Brown University. Steve’s husband is a professional violinist and concertmaster. They live in Alexandria, VA with their rescue dog Ruby.

Jim Kelly

Co-Founder, Managing Director

Jim Kelly is a driving force in orchestral music in the Washington DC area and beyond. In addition to Strumenti.com, Jim serves as the President and CEO of The National Philharmonic (NatPhil) where he is implementing a long-term strategy of audience engagement and development, and of sustainability and equity transformation in classical music. A professional violist, Jim performs with NatPhil, Maryland Lyric Opera, American Pops Orchestra, and Wolf Trap Orchestra, among others. Through his company, JK Professional Music Services, he supplies musicians for many organizations throughout the region. Jim is VP of Sales at Potter Violins where he specializes in consulting with clients on their investment or step-up instrument needs. A USPAP-compliant appraiser of bowed string instruments, he loves anything to do with violins, violas and cellos. He lives with his husband, in DC with their three pups, Stuey, Ruby and Pearl. Jim received his B.M Degree and Artists Diploma in Violin and Viola performance from The Hartt School, and a diploma in Linguistics and Arts from the University of Siena in Italy.