The article reports on a 130-year-old Holocaust-surviving violin that has been given to Agam Berger, a freed Hamas hostage and IDF observer, who played the instrument for the first time. The violin was gifted to Berger by Tzachi Beck, who restored it, and its origins trace back to a Jewish musician murdered by the Nazis; the piece is tied to the broader survivor narrative through Yitzhak Bering and Motel Bering.
The article reports that a 1715 Stradivari violin known as the Bar on Knoop sold for a world-record US$23 million to an anonymous buyer, surpassing the previous record of US$16 million set by the 1721 Lady Blunt Stradivari in 2011.
The article in The Strad December 2025 focuses on Giovanni Maria del Bussetto, discussing his elusive biography, rarity of his violins, and lack of surviving violas or cellos, with contemporary makers including Girolamo Amati II, Andrea Guarneri, Rugeri family, and Antonio Stradivari mentioned for context.
The article reports a new world record price for a Stradivari violin, the 1715 “Baron Knoop,” which sold for $23 million. It notes the previous record was the 1721 “Lady Blunt” at just under $16 million in 2011, and mentions the buyer is an anonymous American collector.
The page discusses a viola by Alessandro Tossani (Cremona, 2024) measuring 41.7 cm, priced at £25,000 - £50,000. It notes Tossani’s background and the shop’s familiarity with him.
The article reports that the 1715 Baro n Knoop Stradivari violin sold for $23 million to an anonymous buyer, surpassing the prior record held by the 1741 Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù, which sold for over $16 million in 2013 and is on loan to Anne Akiko Meyers.
The 1715 Baron Knoop Stradivarius, crafted during Stradivari’s golden period, sold for $23 million (£17.8 million), setting a new record for the most expensive violin. The previous owner was US collector David L. Fulton, who bought it in February 1993 for $2.75 million.
Livia Pereira reports that the New England Conservatory’s students will benefit from an endowment funded by an $11 million sale of the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius. The instrument, created by Antonio Stradivari in 1714, was previously owned by Joseph Joachim and Si-Hon Ma. Sotheby’s New York partnered on the auction, with a final price of $11.3 million, below pre-sale estimates of $12–$18 million. Proceeds establish the Conservatory’s largest ever scholarship endowment for its students.
The article discusses Olympias, a Manchester music charity, organizing a weekend at Manchester Museum to repair violas and cellos for its Olympias Recycled Orchestra programme, which provides up to 100 free instruments to low-income young people. The initiative is funded by Oglesby Charitable Trust and involves instrument makers, luthiers, and Newark School of Violin Making students; repairs are performed March 22–23, 2025.
This KTLA article reports that Mark Meng, 58, an Irvine man who orchestrated a scheme to steal high-value violins and later robbed a bank, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. The DOJ notes Meng admitted to one count of wire fraud and one count of bank robbery related to the thefts and the ensuing robbery, with multiple valuable violins involved including an 1823 Lorenzo Ventapane valued at $175,000 and an 1870 Gand & Bernardel valued at $60,000.
The article reports that an Irvine, California man, Mark Meng, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for robbing a bank and orchestrating a scheme that stole about $350,000 worth of high‑end violins. Violins stolen included 19th and early 20th century instruments, with one from 1823 valued at $175,000. Meng posed as a violin collector, deceived shop owners, and resold some instruments; he carried out the scheme from August 2020 to April 2023 and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter after pleading guilty to wire fraud and bank robbery.
Matt Stevens reports for The New York Times from Los Angeles about a California man, Mark Meng, 58, of Irvine, who used a musician persona to obtain violins on trial from a Virginia shop, including an 1823 violin valued at $175,000, a 1903 violin valued at $55,000, and three bows worth $5,000; after bouncing a $235,234 check and selling one violin for far less than its value, he also robbed a bank nearby.
Lucy Hicks Beach reports that Mark Meng, a California man who pretended to be an instrument collector to steal over $300,000 worth of violins and bows, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison. Meng also robbed a bank in Irvine after the thefts, and he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of bank robbery; the most valuable instrument was an 1823 Lorenzo Ventapane violin valued at $175,000.