The Basel Historical Museum (HMB) conducted provenance research on a violin long thought to be from Nicolò Gagliano. Advanced techniques including dendrochronology and CT scans established that the instrument comes from Nicolò Gagliano’s workshop, circa 1780, and has no ties to illicit or looted property. Curator Isabel Münzner notes the challenges of tracing origins in functional instruments like violins.
In a feature published by The Strad, American violinist Stella Chen discusses the two Antonio Stradivari violins central to her career: the 1708 Huggins Stradivari, loaned to her after she won the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition, and the 1720 General Kyd Stradivari that she now plays, provided by Dr Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins of New York In Consortium. The article references the instruments' former owners, English astronomer William Huggins and British army officer Alexander Kyd, and her teacher Itzhak Perlman; no monetary values are stated.
The Pau Casals Foundation announced it will lend the 1733 Casals Goffriller cello, made by Venetian luthier Matteo Goffriller and played by Pablo Casals for over sixty years, to the first laureate of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition for a four-year period. The loan marks the 75th anniversary edition of the cello competition, held 4 May to 10 June 2026, and the 150th anniversaries of the births of Pablo Casals and Queen Elisabeth. Officials named include Yvan de Launoit of the competition and Marie Van der Elst; no monetary value was stated.
The Pau Casals Foundation will lend Pablo Casals' 1733 Matteo Goffriller cello to the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition First Prize winner. The loan spans four years and commemorates the 150th birth anniversaries of Casals and Queen Elisabeth. The instrument was Casals' primary cello for over six decades and was bequeathed to the foundation after his death in 1973.
Ahmed Sami Madour has been charged with two counts of theft in connection with the theft of a 286-year-old Lorenzo Carcassi violin made in Florence in 1740 from the Marquess Tavern in North London. The instrument, loaned to violinist David Lopez Ibanez for a performance with the Philharmonia Orchestra, is valued at more than $200,000 (about £150,000). Madour appeared in Snaresbrook Crown Court and pleaded not guilty; his trial is scheduled for May 10, 2027.
The Berlin-based Leonkoro Quartet announced that Japanese violinist Emiri Kakiuchi has joined as its new second violinist, replacing Amelie Wallner, alongside first violinist Jonathan Schwarz, violist Mayu Konoe and cellist Lukas Schwarz. Kakiuchi performs on a 1725 Santo Serafin violin. No monetary figures were stated.
The Strad's January 2026 auction report covers the October 2025 London stringed-instrument sales, where the top lot was a 1783 Gennaro Gagliano violin that sold within estimate at Ingles and Hayday for 216,000 pounds. Tarisio sold a 1930 Poggi violin for 192,000 pounds and Ingles and Hayday sold a 1614 violin by Antonio and Girolamo Amati for 90,000 pounds and a 1788 Lorenzo Storioni viola for 120,000 pounds. Eugene Sartory bows featured strongly, including a c.1935 Sartory cello bow that nearly doubled its estimate at Tarisio for 39,000 pounds, while overall the houses reached about 2 million pounds in total sales with 54.5 per cent of lots sold.
The article reports that a 1896 viola by G.A. Chanot of Manchester, a Gold/Tortoiseshell bow by Vidoudez of Geneva, and a bow by WE Hill were stolen on January 9, 2026, on a Southeastern train between Greenwich and Woolwich, London. The owner is Sarah-Jane Bradley, artistic director of the Tertis and Aronowitz International Viola Competitions; details describe the viola’s 16 1/4 inch size, dark brown/orange color, gold-tipped pegs, inscription, and the back’s tiger’s eye-like appearance, along with descriptions of the bows and a dark grey BAM case.
The Violin Post reports that a 316-year-old Stradivarius violin believed to have been looted during World War II may have been found, as highlighted by Smithsonian Magazine. The instrument was crafted by Antonio Stradivari and is part of a rare lineage of Stradivari violins dating from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
South Korean violinist Hyun Jae Lim, 28, took first prize at the 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition in Boca Raton, Florida, receiving 30,000 US dollars along with a new violin, a gold-mounted bow and a carbon violin case after performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Second prize (15,000 dollars) went to Yiyang Hou of China, third prize (10,000 dollars) to Sameer Agrawal of the US and fourth prize (5,000 dollars) to Julia Jones of the US, with the final round played with the Lynn University Philharmonia under conductor Gerald Karni. Hyun Jae Lim also won awards for the best performance of the commissioned work Wood-Sprite by composer Melinda Wagner and for the best Ysaye solo sonata.
Hyun Jae Lim of South Korea won the 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (EOIVC). The prize includes $30,000, three years of artist management and PR support, and a new violin by Phillip Injeian among other benefits. Second to fourth prizes went to Yiyang Hou, Sameer Agrawal, and Julia Jones respectively.
Korean violinist Lim Hyun-jae won first prize at the 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (EOIVC) held in Florida, earning $30,000 plus $2,000 in special awards and three years of potential international engagements. Lim’s victory marks a comeback after a years-long hiatus caused by a traffic accident in Korea; she resumed playing in June 2024 and had previously won the Seoul International Music Competition in December.
La viola Stauffer, costruita da Girolamo Amati nel 1615 e conservata al Museo del Violino di Cremona, è stata protagonista al terzo concorso internazionale di liuteria organizzato dalla Philharmonie de Paris, dedicato alla viola. Giovani concorrenti di sette scuole europee e una dal Messico hanno presentato interpretazioni del capolavoro della Fondazione Stauffer, con Riccardo Angeloni tra i giurati e Raphaël Pidoux a presiedere; l’evento ha visto l’ammissione di cinque semifinalisti dalla Civica Scuola di Liuteria di Milano.
The Viola Stauffer, built by Girolamo Amati in 1615 and exhibited at Cremona's Museo del Violino, was featured in the third international luthier competition organized by the Philharmonie de Paris. It served as the reference model for the Talents de demain section, with young contestants from seven European countries and Mexico presenting interpretations to an international jury. The Civica Scuola di Liuteria di Milano reached the final five after advancing through preliminaries, while Riccardo Angeloni (Museo del Violino) participated as a juror.
La viola Stauffer, costruita da Girolamo Amati nel 1615 e conservata al Museo del Violino di Cremona, è stata protagonista al terzo concorso internazionale di liuteria a Parigi (14-18 gennaio) organizzato dalla Philharmonie de Paris con Talents & Violon’celles. Il modello è servito nella sezione Talents de demain, con quindici strumenti in gara; Riccardo Angeloni ha fatto parte della giuria insieme a Raphaël Pidoux; la Civica Scuola di Liuteria di Milano si è classificata tra i cinque semifinalisti. La Stauffer è un viola contralto tra i più antichi cremonesi, collegata storicamente ai fratelli Amati e ai liutai successivi come Andrea Guarneri e Giacomo Gennaro.
The Strad reported the death of American luthier Amos Hargrave, who died on 18 January 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas, aged 74, following complications from pneumonia. Hargrave earned four Violin Society of America gold medals between 1980 and 1982, reached Hors Concours status in 1984, was a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, and helped create the International Society of Bassists Makers Competition. No monetary figures were stated.