The article reports that Milwaukee Police arrested three suspects for the Jan. 27 theft of the Lipinski Stradivarius violin, valued at $5 million, which was recovered Feb. 5. Universal Allah pleaded guilty to participating in the robbery and, on July 24, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and extended supervision. Allah admitted providing Salahadyn, a felon, with the Taser used in the attack. The purported mastermind, Salah Salahadyn, had planned to plead guilty but that was postponed.
The article reports that a plea hearing for Salah Salahadyn, a Milwaukee man, was postponed in a case involving a $5 million Stradivarius violin theft. Salahadyn pleaded not guilty to being party to felony robbery, with a new plea hearing set for July 24, the same day his co-defendant Universal K. Allah is to be sentenced.
The Violin Channel reports that the plea hearing for Salah Salahadyn, one of two men accused of stealing the 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond, has been postponed due to scheduling issues. The new hearing is scheduled for July 24, with co-defendant Universal K. Allah set for sentencing the same day; Allah pled guilty in May. Salahadyn was previously convicted in 2000 of attempting to resell a stolen statue.
The Violin Channel reports that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the United States is accepting applications for the Principal Viola position, with applications due by September 9.
The Violin Channel, in partnership with Decca, is giving away five personally autographed copies of Alisa Weilerstein’s Dvorak album. The entry period ends July 16, 2014, and the recording features Juri Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor and related pieces.
The article discusses a stolen Gand Bernardel violin from the Conservatorio Verdi in Turin, stolen in 1988 and later found in Berlin; German authorities reportedly refuse cooperation, and Italy's prosecutor has asked the State Attorney to pursue a dispute.
Liborio La Mattina reports that a valuable violin stolen from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Turin in 1988 has been traced to Berlin, but German authorities refuse its return; the Gand Bernardel violin, once owned by Teresina Tua, is at the center of a Franco-Italian dispute.
The 1879 Gand Bernardel violin stolen from the Turin Conservatory in 1988 is at the center of a judicial battle between the Turin prosecutor and German authorities. The Torino prosecutor has located the instrument and requested its return, but German authorities refused. The State Advocate's Office has been brought in to start civil litigation, while the Torino public prosecutor Andrea Padalino continues investigations into possible recipients of stolen goods and illegal export. The violin was donated to the Subalpine Conservatory by musician Maddalena Maria Teresa Tua.
The article notes that violinist Alex Granger premiered composer Lucas Floyd’s violin concerto in San Francisco, performed on a violin crafted by Los Angeles violinmaker Eric Benning. The premiere occurred April 27, 2014 at the Sol Joseph Recital Hall, SFCM, with Eric Choate conducting, and the instrument is a 2010 model by Benning with an antiqued varnish inspired by the 1725 Da Vinci Stradivarius.
The article reports that Universal K. Allah, 37, a Milwaukee man, pleaded guilty to robbery as party to a crime in the January 27 armed robbery of the 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Frank Almond and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison plus 3 1/2 years extended supervision; Allah loaned the weapon used to co-defendant Salah Salahadyn and was ordered to pay $4,014.57 in lost wages and ambulance fees. Salah Salahadyn, 42, is described as the mastermind and will appear in court.
The article reports that a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, dating to 1696, was recovered by Britain's Rail and Transport Police after being stolen in December 2010 from a London metro station. The instrument is valued at 1.4 million euros, with two bows valued at 79,000 euros, and the recovery is described as part of a long and complex investigation.
The violin Molitor by Antonio Stradivari, dated 1697, will be provided to Russian violinist Alena Baeva. The instrument was acquired by patron Maksim Viktorov, who founded the Paganini International Violin Competition and owns Russia's largest private collection of rare instruments, through Ingles & Naudau in London. The Molitor previously belonged to General Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor; in 2010 it was sold at auction for $3.6 million, and American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers recently played it.