Lee Jenny Hyeon-jeong won first prize of ¥2,000,000 (approx. $13,200 USD) at the 10th Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Munetsugu Hall, Japan. Second prize went to Choi Joo-ha and third prize to Im Hae-won, with additional prizes for Zou Meng and Qian Zhiyuan; top prize winners also receive instrument loans. The jury included Koichiro Harada, Salt Chaoyang Lin, Kimiko Nakazawa, Machie Oguri, and Sungsic Yang, chaired by Pierre Amoyal and Kazuki Sawa.
Ahmed Sami Madour, 46, of no fixed address from Leytonstone, is charged with two counts of theft over the £150,000 antique Florence violin stolen from musician David Ibanez at the Marquess Tavern in Canonbury Street, Islington, on February 18, 2025. Madour was charged by the Metropolitan Police on January 19, 2026, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court, and his trial is scheduled for May 10, 2027; he has entered not guilty pleas and been released on unconditional bail.
Keila Wakao won first prize, Yebin Yoo won second prize, Juyeon Diana Lee won third prize and the audience prize. The event was the 26th National Schadt String Competition for Violin, held March 8 at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown, hosted by the Allentown Symphony Association.
Stefan Hersh and Alexander Hersh, a father and son, are the soloists for Symphony Parnassus's Spring Concert on April 19, performing Saint-Saëns's La muse et le poète for violin, cello, and orchestra.
Joseph Maher, a 79-year-old violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is reunited with his missing 20th century violin after it was left on a Thameslink train. The instrument, which includes two bows, one of which dates from his youth, was located by a staff member in Brighton and returned to him. Maher estimated a replacement violin would cost about £15,000.
Slippedisc reports that violinist Elina Vahala's Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin flew from her hands during a performance of the Bruch violin concerto with Sinfonia Lahti under conductor Matthew Halls, when Halls' gesture struck the instrument after the final chord of a section. The violin flipped in the air before Vahala blocked its impact with her foot and it sustained only a reopened seam that was reglued, with no cracks. Slippedisc gives no value; a corroborating The Strad report identifies it as a 1780 Guadagnini valued at about 1 million pounds.
The Violin Society of America issued a missing notice on April 21, 2026, for a 1920 Alfredo Contino violin and a circa 1790 François Xavier Tourte bow reported stolen from an Albany, Georgia residence in July 2020. The story notes the broader impact on the preservation of irreplaceable stringed instruments and the efforts to recover them, highlighting the Contino violin as part of the Naples school lineage and Tourte’s bow as a foundational innovation in bow making.
Pascale Bernheim, founder of the Music and Despoilation group, identified a violin played at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France, as a 1719 Stradivarius stolen from a Warsaw museum in 1939, part of the collection of Polish industrialist Henryk Grohman. The instrument was performed on in Colmar by violinist Emmanuel Coppey, and investigations into its wartime loss are proceeding. No sale price is stated.
The article discusses a moment when British conductor Matthew Halls struck a priceless 18th‑century violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini owned by soloist Elina Vähälä, causing it to fall. The instrument is described as being worth millions and the piece notes public debate over who is at fault and the violin’s condition after the incident.
Elina Vähälä, the soloist, witnessed a priceless 1780 Guadagnini violin survive a mishap during a performance conducted by Matthew Halls at Lahti Concert Hall, with the instrument valued at about £1 million (≈$1.5 million). The violin was repaired by a Helsinki luthier without affecting its value.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will honor luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz at its 2026 Spring Gala on May 19, 2026 at Alice Tully Hall. The event features CMS artists performing on instruments made by Zygmuntowicz, with participants including Wu Han, Orion Weiss, James Thompson, Chad Hoopes, Bella Hristova, Richard Lin, Matthew Lipman, and David Finckel who owns two of Zygmuntowicz’s cellos.
The article discusses a suspected Nazi-looted Stradivarius violin, possibly the Lauterbach, with expert Pascale Bernheim evaluating its origin. It mentions violins by luthiers Nicolo Amati, Antonio Guarneri, and Antonio Stradivari, a 1719 Stradivarius, and prior ownership by Henryk Grohman; Le Parisien and Les Dernieres nouvelles d'Alsace are cited. The violin was last seen in France in the early 1990s and may have been stolen from a Warsaw museum in 1944.
Agence France-Presse reports a 1714 Stradivarius violin displayed in Boston may have been stolen by the Nazis from a Warsaw museum in 1944 and later linked to a possible Lauterbach/Lautenschlager instrument; the investigation centers on its provenance through Colmar, France and prior owners, with scientists and luthiers weighing its authenticity.
The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, a 1714 Stradivari violin once owned by Joseph Joachim, is reported found in France after being looted by the Nazis. The instrument is valued at about $10 million and its recovery raises restitution questions.
The article discusses the antiqueing practice in violin making, citing examples and quotes from makers like Joseph Curtin and David Burgess. It explains that antiquing simulates age and wear to create a visual effect, which can influence perceptions of value, with some viewing it as a compromise between new and old instruments.
Barnebys Magazine discusses Antonio Stradivari, renowned luthier responsible for over 1,000 violins and string instruments now held by major institutions and sold at auctions for millions. The article notes Stradivari’s origin in Cremona and his era of craftsmanship, highlighting the 1719 Stradivarius viola Macdonald and historical context.
The Strad reported that the c.1719 Macdonald viola by Antonio Stradivari was bought in a private sale by the Berlin-based non-profit Stretton Society, at what it described as the highest price ever paid for a stringed instrument, exceeding the 23 million dollars paid for the 1715 Baron Knoop Stradivari violin in 2025. The sale was completed in late 2025 and the exact figure was not disclosed.
Norman Lebrecht reports that a rare Antonio Stradivarius viola, one of only ten made, has been placed on loan with Amihai Grosz, principal viola of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The instrument, dated around 1719 and nicknamed the ‘Macdonald’ viola, was sold in a private deal through the Stretton Society; the price was not disclosed but is said to be well above the £23 million record paid for last year’s 1715 ‘Baron Knoop’ Stradivarius violin.
The article discusses cellist Robert Cohen, who originally owned and played the 1692 ‘Bonjour’ Stradivari cello and later acquired the 300-year-old ‘ex-Roser’ Tecchler. It covers Cohen’s background, career, and the significance of the transition from the Stradivari to the Tecchler, including details about how and when he purchased the Tecchler at Sotheby’s in London in November 1991.