User:Roman Goronok/sandbox/Roman Goronok

Roman Goronok
Roman Goronok (born 1978) is a British violin expert and dealer. The son of Russian luthier Michael Goronok and classical violinist, Eugenia Poustyreva, Roman trained initially as a classical violinist and became an accomplished performer. After a life-changing accident, he became increasingly drawn to the business of fine and rare stringed instruments, and is now a leading international authority in this field. He is Principal of the international dealership and consultancy, The Roman Goronok Company.

Career
Roman Goronok was born in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1978 and immigrated to the United States with his family at age 11. He trained as a classical violinist at the Cleveland Institute of Music with his mother Eugenia Poustyreva, then in San Francisco with Zaven Melikian for violin and Susan Bates  for chamber music. Aged 17 he was offered a place with Professor Zakhar Bron, and lived in Germany for five years, initially in Lubeck then in Cologne. In 2000 he returned to Cleveland Institute of Music to study with Donald Weilerstein, and received a Bachelors Degree in Violin Performance in 2001.

In the fall of 2000 Roman was involved in a serious accident, causing life-changing decisions. He decided to cease playing violin professionally, and enrolled in MBA level courses at CWRU Weatherhead School of Management. Subsequently, he was introduced to Paul Becker of Carl Becker and Son, and sold instruments on their behalf. He started to travel to Europe and through Carl Becker was introduced to Charles Beare, "the most esteemed authenticator in the world" [10], through whom Roman learned extensively about instrument identification and the central issue of authentication.

He also started to identify other aspects of the business of fine and rare stringed instruments (FRSI) that interested him greatly. At this time, researchers such as David Shoenbaum [11] and Jon Gertner [12] were developing these themes, and the nature and status of the business was changing. Moving to London in 2007 Roman took these interests through study at Sotheby's Institute of Art London, leading to his Master's dissertation, "Developing criteria for identifying authentication experts in the art world, their establishment as such, their recognition and their use", where Charles Beare and Professor Henry Lydiate  offered invaluable help in addressing the pivotal role of the expert in the FRSI market.

In 2002 Roman established The Roman Goronok Company (TRGC) providing services for musicians, collectors, and patrons. After 17 years of this experience, the company is now a boutique investment firm specializing in fine and rare stringed instruments.

Working primarily with 18th century Italian violins, TRGC is an independent agency. Although the finest instrument examples are approximately three hundred years old, they are still fulfilling their original function, and combine the qualities of fine works of art and tools of the trade. Most of them are in regular use by the world's leading musicians and it is because of this functionality and location within a major artistic tradition they are resistant to trends and changing fashions, which influence market value. Fine quality instruments are essential for the continuation of western classical music and investment in FRSI is socially responsible for providing guardianship that preserves these masterpieces for the benefit of future generations.

Alongside his practice, Roman acts as a Consultant Lecturer for Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, specializing in business ethics. He is a member of the Art and Antique Dealers' League of America and the Confederation Internationale des Negociants en Oeuvres d' Art.

Family
Roman Goronok currently lives in London; he has a young son, Alexei.