The Violin Channel reports a 1754 Giovanni Battista Gabrielli violin was stolen on a train in Belgium on June 21, 2024, around 9:00–10:20 AM on IC 3130 between Antwerp and Bruxelles Midi. The instrument was in a black carbon GEWA violin case with multiple stickers, accompanied by two bows: one by Claude Thomassin (made 1910–1920) and another marked Penzel; ownership is listed as Valerie Leopold, with Leopold’s name on the case handle. Contact information for tips is provided.
Vienna Symphonic Library announces Synchron Solo Violin and Synchron Solo Cello, recorded in Synchron Stage Vienna with soloists Marina Dimitrova and Florian Eggner. Introductory prices are €165 for the Standard Library and €230 for the Full Library, with further 10% discount when buying both collections; prices note reg. €220 and €310 respectively.
A damaged violin found among trash in Trieste was restored by a local master and identified as an instrument from the 18th century with an estimated value around 60,000 euros. The instrument was played at a concert in Piazza Unità d’Italia, featuring a 13-year-old Austrian girl, Lorea Mimura, who won an international competition.
Valuable violin found in trash sings again discusses a violin that was previously discovered in trash and has gained renewed attention. The article is published by ANSA on TopNews.
The page covers Maxim Vengerov visiting Casa Stradivari as the second guest of its Artistic Residency. It mentions the return of the 1727 Kreutzer Stradivari to Cremona, Vengerov’s Violin Masterclass with three prize-winning young musicians, and a Round Table titled The Resonances of Stradivari.
The Nippon Music Foundation loans the Guarneri del Gesù Muntz violin of 1736 to violinist Youjin Lee under its Instrument Loan Project. Lee, originally from South Korea and a student of Boris Kushnir in Graz, has a history of competition successes and performances with various orchestras.
The Violin Channel reports that Frans Helmerson has been appointed Professor of the Advanced Cello Course at Cremona’s Stauffer Academy, succeeding Antonio Meneses. Helmerson will lead the Advanced Cello Course starting in the 2024/25 academic year, with masterclasses involving Nicolas Altstaedt, Enrico Dindo, and Giovanni Sollima.
The article reports Vivian Fung writing a solo violin and electronics work commissioned by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation for violinist Nancy Zhou, with a premiere planned for 2026. It highlights Zhou's background, her connection to the Mutter Foundation, and Fung's commission as inspired by Zhou’s identity and cultural themes.
The Nippon Music Foundation announced the 2024 recipients of its 30th instrument loan committee. VC Young Artist Maria Dueñas received Stradivarius 1710 Violin Camposelice; Minami Yoshida received Stradivarius 1716 Violin Booth; Zlatomir Fung and Michiaki Ueno received instruments including cellos; the Goldmund Quartet received Stradivarius Paganini Quartet; Dmytro Udovychenko was loaned the 1708 Huggins Stradivarius as part of his Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition prize. The Foundation now holds 21 string instruments including 15 Stradivarius violins, 1 viola, 3 cellos, and 2 Guarneri del Gesu violins.