Victor Salvi

Victor Salvi (\ˈvik-tər\ \ˈsal-vē \); (March 4, 1920 – May 10, 2015) was an American-born Italian harpist, harp maker, and entrepreneur. Salvi, who has been called "harpmaker of the world". Born in Chicago, Illinois, he immigrated back to Italy several years into his professional career. Credited for transforming the harp industry, he began his career as a musician, and turned to building harps.

As a musician, Victor Salvi played under some of the best known conductors of the twentieth century, including Dimitri Mitropoulos, Arturo Toscanini, and Bruno Walter. As a businessman, Salvi merged markets between his Europe-based Salvi Harps and the United States company Lyon & Healy, which he acquired in 1987. As an engineer, Salvi is responsible for the largest modern progressions of the instrument. Philanthropically, he has sponsored multiple competitions, concerts, as well as commissioning harp compositions. Salvi has expanded the harp's notoriety worldwide, raising the instrument's profile, and heightening its importance musically.