The Lorenzo Carcassi violin, made in Florence in 1740, was stolen from the Marquess Tavern in North London on February 18, 2025. Ahmed Sami Madour, 46, has been charged with two counts of theft and pleaded not guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court; his trial is set for May 10, 2027. The instrument was loaned to violinist David Lopez Ibanez of the Philharmonia Orchestra and is valued at more than £150,000 (about $201,550).
Lieke Mulder reported a 7/8-sized violin by Aegidius Kloz stolen from his home in The Hague, The Netherlands, on November 14, 2025. The instrument, housed in a dark blue rectangular case with a carbon fibre bow, is believed to have been built between 1740 and 1760. Mulder has offered a reward and requests information through a contact link.
The Violin Channel reports that British luthier Andrew Fairfax, a longtime restorer at London’s J&A Beare, has died after an illness. Fairfax studied at NSVM, worked in the Netherlands, and later co-founded Fairfax Violins with his wife Anneleen; he authored The British Violin and The Voller Brothers and curated the Panormo exhibition for Tarisio London.
Article reports that a Guarneri del Gesù violin (circa 1727–1730) sold at Artcurial in Paris on December 16, 2025 for 2.3148 million euros including fees. The instrument, attributed to Giuseppe Guarneri Filius Andreae, is one of about 150 known Guarneri del Gesù violins, with documented provenance from Philippe Dennery’s private collection and an authentication package including certificates by Peter Biddulph, Dmitry Gindin, and John & Arthur Beare, plus dendrochronology analysis by Versteeg (April 2025).
The article reports that a Guarneri del Gesù violin dating from 1727–1730 sold for €2,314,800 (including fees) at Artcurial in Paris on December 16, 2025. It notes the instrument’s Cremonese lutherie provenance and that Stéphane Aubert conducted the auction.
The Violin Channel reports that Lufthansa apologized to German violinist Carolin Widmann after she was told she could not bring her 1782 Guadagnini violin in a case on a Helsinki to Leipzig flight and had to carry it in her arms. Lufthansa issued multiple apologies, with the latest stemming from Widmann’s first complaint via email to the Helsinki Vaanta airport station manager; further communications included a call from customer service and discussions about EU regulations.
The Turin exhibition titled Count Cozio and the Myth of Stradivari. Masterpieces in Piedmont between the 1700s and 1800s commemorates Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue’s 270th birth anniversary. It runs September 19 to November 23, 2025 at Palazzo Madama in Turin and is organized with Associazione Il Salabue, curated by Giovanni Accornero and Duane Rosengard to highlight Cozio’s work as a collector and scholar of stringed instruments.
The Violin Post reports that the 1715 Baron Knoop Stradivari violin was sold for $23 million (£17.8 million), setting a new record for the most expensive violin. The instrument features a two-piece maple back, spruce top, and a scroll with Stradivari’s signature black edging; it was made in Cremona in 1715 and previously owned by David L. Fulton.
David López Ibáñez, a violinist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, reports that his 1740 Lorenzo Carcassi violin and three bows were stolen near Canonbury in the London Borough of Islington. The theft occurred around 7:30 PM on February 18, 2025, and involved a black Riboni Unoeotto case. The missing bows include an unlabelled Morizot frères bow, a Dodd bow with a mother-of-pearl tip, and a carbon fiber violin bow. The case and items are being pursued with police Crime Reference Number 01/7178074/25, with CCTV footage available. López Ibáñez has publicly appealed for assistance and asked others to share information via email david.lopez_ibanez@gmail.com or phone +44 7759 305552.
The article describes Laura Kukkonen, a 17-year-old violinist from Finland, performing the first violin solo in the first movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ray Chen at the Hollywood Bowl. It notes that Kukkonen won first prize in a competition called Play with Ray, and mentions her instrument by maker (Joseph Gagliano, Naples 1792) and that she played on a Guadagnini for the event.