House of Note

04/04/2026

✨ New Arrival at House of Note ✨
Beautiful Donald McKinley violin (Los Angeles, 1988) — warm tone, rich character, and ready for its next player. 🎻

03/30/2026

03/24/2026

Huge kudos and congratulations to Minneapolis’s very own Sophia Alexander for her incredible performance at the 2026 YPSCA Concerto Competition! 🎻✨

Sophia, a senior at The Blake School, stood out as one of only twelve finalists - and ultimately captured Second Place on March 1st, in a very tight final competition! Sophia absolutely mesmerized both the judges and the audience with an exquisite and powerful interpretation of the second movement of Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante—one of the more demanding pieces in the cello repertoire.

Sophia's hard work and artistry earned her the $1,500 Edwin Norberg Award and the $750 House of Note Violin Shop Award. We are so incredibly proud of your dedication and this well-deserved achievement, Sophia!

A massive thank-you and shout-out also go out to Sophia's fabulous and dedicated teacher, Mina Fisher, always delivering her guidance and encouragement with a smile; and to the wonderful Kerri Lejeune, who served as Sophia’s brilliant collaborator throughout the competition.

Brava, Sophia! We can’t wait to see where your musical journey takes you next. 🌟👏



Minnesota Orchestra House of Note

Photography by Stephan F. Kistler Photography

03/03/2026

We loved welcoming musicians from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra today! 🎻
Lisa Sung, Beatrice Hsieh, and Jeremy Lap Hei Hao stopped by the shop for tonal adjustments and bow work. It’s always a pleasure to help these incredible artists sound their very best.
Don’t miss the SPCO Musician Appreciation Concert this Saturday at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. House of Note is a proud sponsor of this wonderful event.

02/23/2026

This violin came into the shop in desperate need of varnish touch-up.

Swipe to see the before and after of Nick’s expert restoration — bringing back depth, color, and character.

01/29/2026

So excited to spotlight the incredible Rebecca Albers, principal violist of our Minnesota Orchestra, as she prepares the North American premiere of Donghoon Shin’s Threadsuns.
Catch this stunning new concerto Friday and Saturday — don’t miss it! Minnesota Orchestra

Minnesota Orchestra principal violist Rebecca Albers prepares the North American premiere of Donghoon Shin's Celan-inspired viola concerto Threadsuns. Link in the comments

01/13/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Ben Schonberg to the House of Note sales staff!

Ben holds a B.A. in Music Performance from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a Master’s degree in Violin Pedagogy from Texas Tech University.

In addition to his work at House of Note, Ben is active as a violin instructor at the University of Northwestern St. Paul’s Academy of Music and as a Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies coach.

12/27/2025

🎻 New to House of Note! 🎻

We’re excited to welcome a stunning 16 1/8” viola by Helmuth Keller (1988) to our shop.

Helmuth Keller was born in Fischen, Germany, in 1931 and established his workshop in Philadelphia in 1966. This exceptional viola was played in the Minnesota Orchestra for several seasons—and it sounds incredible.

Stop in and try this remarkable viola at House of Note! 🎶.

12/23/2025

House of Note January Cello Sale!

All cellos are 10% off throughout the month of January.
It’s the perfect time to upgrade or discover the cello that’s right for you.

12/18/2025

Holiday Hours Update
We will be closed on the following dates:

• Wednesday, December 24
• Thursday, December 25
• Wednesday, December 31
• Thursday, January 1

Happy Holidays! We look forward to seeing you soon.

12/07/2025

Thanks The Violin Channel for the interview at this year’s Violin Society of America convention!