Mario Miralles at work. Photo by Michael Schmelling for The New York Times.
In Friday’s (1/9) New York Times, Matt Stevens writes, “A year later, the breadth of the Eaton fire’s destruction in Altadena, Calif., is vast: residents killed, thousands of buildings destroyed, a neighborhood forever changed and a deep wound to [Mario] Miralles’s livelihood. Miralles, 62, is a renowned luthier who has made a cello for Yo-Yo Ma, violins for decorated musicians, and countless string instruments for principal players and young students alike. His craftsmanship and expertise are prized…. Making a world-class string instrument requires world-class wood. And gathering that wood required frequent trips to European vendors over a career of more than 40 years…. He kept his collection in a rented storage unit before moving it into an insulated shed outside his home in Altadena … There was a fire station just down the street…. That Miralles saved [conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s] instrument during last year’s deadly wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades gives it extra meaning for Dudamel … Dudamel said, ‘Every time I play it, I am reminded of how the people of Los Angeles rose with humanity, generosity and grace during a moment of profound loss.’… [During the fire], Miralles could tell that his house was gone…. The fire had reduced the shed—and all of the wood within it—to ash.”
