The Italian news story reports that a violin once owned by Benito Mussolini was stolen from an hotel in Riccione, Rimini. The instrument was kept in an antique cabinet in the owner’s office at the Promenade hotel, and valued near 400,000 euros. The owner, Gabriele Fabbri, filed a report with the Carabinieri, who are investigating; the thieves gained entry through a back door after forcing it. A Ming dynasty porcelain head was left behind, which helped raise the owner’s suspicions about the violin’s authenticity.
Emily Bowen poured 91% sulfuric acid into Molly Young's viola case at Knox Academy in Haddington, Scotland, leaving Young badly injured. Bowen, 18, was jailed after the incident, which occurred during a music lesson in a school orchestra setting; Bowen had bought the acid previously and hid it in her locker.
The London Evening Standard reports that Dawn Henry, 37, attempted to sell a stolen 18th-century violin worth £200,000 at a Cash Converters shop for £50, two days after it was stolen from violinist Krysia Osostowicz. The instrument, made in Venice and valued at £175,000, was stolen from Osostowicz outside Brixton Tube station; the case and bows were valued separately at £600 and £24,500 respectively.
The article reports that a cello, dating to the 18th century and once used at the court of King Louis XVI, is now in Australia, loaned to solo cellist Michael Goldschlager who teaches at WAAPA. It provides history about the instrument, including its maker and royal provenance, and notes Goldschlager’s storytelling about its past and travel arrangements.
The article reports a Parksville man who bought a violin in 1910 and believed it might be made by Antonio Stradivarius. It notes the instrument was later examined and associated with Antonius Stradivarius, with discussion of the maker's life and the instrument’s potential value compared to other Stradivarius violins.
HAYDN’s Cello Concerto No. 1, long stored in the Národní Muzeum in Prague, was rediscovered after nearly two centuries and entered the standard cello repertoire.
The article discusses a six-string Tucker Barrett Luma electric violin owned by Paul Peabody, featuring autographs from Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Sting, Willem Dafoe, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, and others. The instrument is on display at Beast With a Million Eyes Art Gallery in Nyack, with a silent auction closing September 13, and a certificate of authenticity.
Victoria Chiang is a viola pedagogue at the Peabody Institute of Music who discusses her career progression from Eastman School of Music teaching assistant to a professional viola performer and educator, and her journey toward becoming a professorship.