A 300-Year-Old Master Cello
We are lending the cello to the next generation of virtuosos
The Next 300 Years
Australian cellist Nathan Waks has enjoyed a long and successful career as a professional cellist, during which he has been fortunate to play a valuable 18th-century Italian instrument for over four decades. Now, at 75, he feels it is time for this opportunity to be passed on to the next generation of talented musicians. The cello will start its new journey in April 2026, as a loan to the winner of the new Classic Cello International Competition to be held at the Royal College of Music in London.
Where art meets purpose
Nathan has enjoyed a long and successful career as a professional cellist, during which he has been fortunate to play a valuable 18th-century Italian instrument for over four decades. Now, at 75, he feels it is time for this opportunity to be passed on to the next generation of talented musicians. The cello will start its new journey in April 2026, as a loan to the winner of the Classic Cello International Competition, to be held at the Royal College of Music in London.
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Paintings should be seen. Instruments should be heard.
This master cello deserves to be played at the highest level, not locked away. Through OCTARR's fractional ownership model and partnership with the Florian Leonhard Fellowship, it will continue to thrive through performance.
The instrument will be tokenised, with guardians sharing in both its cultural legacy and economic value. Smart contracts ensure transparent loan and potential sale programs, while emerging virtuosos gain access to an instrument that might otherwise be beyond reach.
As each performer brings their own interpretation - like a Formula One driver extracting unique performance from the same car - so the cello will reveal its full range of sonic qualities through performance and recording in the decades to come.
The Mystery of The Maker
As with all master instruments, formal attribution is often subjective, with only a handful of qualified experts worldwide. The signed label inside suggests this cello was made in Rome in 1723 by renowned luthier David Tecchler - an attribution certified by the world's leading violin dealers W. E. Hill & Sons in 1945.
Recent dendrochronological examination has thrown that attribution into question, sparking debate over the actual maker. Florian Leonhard MBE, one of the world's leading experts, is still studying the instrument and currently believes it to be one of the finest cellos made in Florence in the first half of the 18th century.
The mystery enriches the story.
The Collection
This project embodies OCTARR's core philosophy of fractional philanthropy. Owners are acquiring more than a stake in a valuable instrument – they are patrons of the next generation of musicians. Instruments of this calibre have consistently appreciated in value, and as the supply is finite and by definition dwindling over time, there is every expectation that this will continue. The instrument will be insured and maintained at the very highest level by Florian Leonhard Violins at no cost to the new owners.
The entire project is being immutably documented and preserved through blockchain technology.
Rewards
- Become a patron of a rising virtuoso, directly supporting their artistic journey.
- Receive full ownership of your allocated tokens/shares in the cello.
- Sell or gift your tokens at any time with complete flexibility.
- Pay no insurance costs while benefiting from premium maintenance by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
- Gain access to concerts and private events.
- Enjoy Platinum membership with OCTARR, including priority access to all future projects.
- Receive a unique 1/1 photograph of your section of the cello, printed on OCTARR’s proprietary handmade paper crafted from 350-year-old French oak.
The Cello’s Passport
Become a Patron
Join our club = Become an Octarrian. Acquire a token = Become a Patron.