violin

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300-Year-Old Wizard of Oz Violin Likely to Set Record

'Da Vinci' Stradivarius formerly owned by Toscha Seidel expected to fetch up to $20M at auction

(Newser) - An old violin, thought to be heard on the Oscar-winning score of The Wizard of Oz, might just become the most expensive Stradivarius ever sold at auction. The rare violin formerly owned by Toscha Seidel, "widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century," will hit...

You Just Can't Leave a 1710 Violin in Your Car

Art dealer was in the process of taking the instrument to a safer spot

(Newser) - Rowland Weinstein wanted to put his 1710 violin someplace safer. In the process of moving it, the Los Angeles Times reports, he left the rare Amati in his white Tesla for a moment while he was in his Los Angeles home. When he came outside, they were both gone. The...

Her Skull Was Open. Still, She Played

Dagmar Turner hopes to return to her orchestra after removal of brain tumor

(Newser) - An orchestra violinist should be able to play under almost any circumstance. In the middle of brain surgery isn't one of them. But Dagmar Turner has managed that feat. The 53-year-old was diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumor in 2013 after suffering a seizure while playing with the Isle...

Stolen Strad Reborn After Nearly 40 Years

Violinist Nathan Meltzer revives prize instrument in Cambridge, Mass.

(Newser) - A Stradivarius violin stolen four decades ago from the virtuoso Roman Totenberg and returned to his family by a federal prosecutor came alive again—at the crime scene, the AP reports. Nineteen-year-old star violinist Nathan Meltzer revived the prize instrument of the late Polish-born musician on Friday at a public...

Cop Found Her Singing in the Subway. Now She's a Viral Hit

People want to help Emily Zamourka, a homeless immigrant—but it's complicated

(Newser) - It's "like the American Idol story, but on social media." That's how a rep for a Los Angeles councilman describes the plight of Emily Zamourka, a homeless woman discovered singing in an empty subway station by an LAPD officer. Zamourka may now have a new lease...

No Room on Jet for His Antique Violin. Then, a Great Idea

Giora Schmidt performs onboard after flight attendant rallies passengers to make room

(Newser) - Stories about airplanes and musicians with antique instruments often don't end well. Witness exhibit A from 2016. But Classic FM has a story that provides an antidote. It seems American-Israeli violinist Giora Schmidt just barely made his Delta flight to Cincinnati, and by the time he boarded, there was...

Mayor's Odd Request to Entire City: Shhhh

In Cremona, Italy, sounds of Stradivarius instruments being recorded for posterity

(Newser) - Stradivarius instruments—violins, violas, and cellos made in the 17th and 18th centuries by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy—are known for their unmatched tones. It's for this reason that the instruments are passed down and painstakingly restored over generations. Even so, their tones begin to change as the...

Pawn Shop Buys Violin for $50. It's Quite a Bargain

Turns out, the Ferdinando Gagliano classic is worth $250,000

(Newser) - A violin bought by a Massachusetts pawn shop for $50 has ended up being worth about 5,000 times that. WFXT-TV reports a new employee at the LBC Boutique and Loan in Somerville had no idea what he was buying when he paid for the Ferdinando Gagliano violin, which was...

Woman Accused of Destroying Ex's $950K Violin Collection
$950K Violin Collection Ruined.
3 Years Later, Ex-Wife Arrested
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 30, 2017 5:31 PM CDT

$950K Violin Collection Ruined. 3 Years Later, Ex-Wife Arrested

The destroyed collection included 54 violins and 70 bows

(Newser) - The world's tiniest violin might not be enough to express one man's loss, allegedly at the hands of his ex-wife. The Japan Times reports 34-year-old Midori Kawamiya was arrested Tuesday, accused of destroying her ex-husband's $950,000 violin collection in 2014 as the two were divorcing. Authorities...

It Was a Symbol of Venezuelan Unrest. Now It, Too, Is Broken

Wuilly Arteaga says National Guard damaged his violin

(Newser) - Wuilly Arteaga has played his violin through weeks of anti-government protests in Venezuela, his songs enduring even as he was forced to dodge tear gas canisters hurled in his direction. But on Wednesday, the music was silenced. Arteaga—often seen playing Venezuela's national anthem on the front lines—says...

Saga of Stradivarius Stolen in 1980 Ends on High Note

Roman Totenberg's family to hear stolen violin for first time in 37 years

(Newser) - After a meticulous restoration that took more than a year, a Stradivarius violin that was stolen from violinist Roman Totenberg and missing for decades is about to return to the stage. Violinist Mira Wang, who studied under Totenberg, will play the instrument at a private concert in New York on...

Pilot Tells Woman She Can't Carry on Her $20M Violin

The Joseph Guarneri 'del Gesu' violin from 1742 is on loan to Rachel Barton Pine

(Newser) - A renowned Chicago musician is going public with her airline spat over a piece of carry-on luggage—because that piece of luggage happens to be a 1742 violin insured for almost $20 million. Rachel Barton Pine says an American Airlines captain refused to let her bring the Joseph Guarneri "...

Judge to Naked Musician: You Have No Case

Well, Matthew Mglej is allowed to sue for excessive force

(Newser) - A federal judge has dismissed a nude protester's claim that police violated his rights by arresting him while he played violin stark-naked outside the federal courthouse in Portland. Matthew Mglej of Hillsboro, Oregon, sued the Portland police and the county last January, seeking $1.1 million in damages. The...

Thief's Ex Clueless She Had Stolen Stradivarius for Years

Says she almost fainted when appraiser said they had to call the FBI

(Newser) - Philip Johnson was dying of pancreatic cancer when he brought his former wife, Thanh Tran, to the basement of his home in Venice, Calif. Under a tarp weighted down with bricks was a violin case with a combination lock. He gave the case to Tran and didn't say a...

How a Stolen Stradivarius Surfaced After 35 Years

Roman Totenberg was right to suspect Phillip Johnson: FBI

(Newser) - Violinist Roman Totenberg always suspected who stole his $250,000 1734 Stradivarius violin from his office in Cambridge, Mass., after a concert in 1980. Security cameras spotted violinist Phillip Johnson, then 27, lingering outside the room and Johnson's ex-girlfriend later said he had taken it. Without proof, Totenberg could...

The Violin's Shape Was an Accident

 The Violin's Shape 
 Was an Accident 
study says
Feb 15, 2015 6:16 AM CST

The Violin's Shape Was an Accident

Researchers reveal how it 'evolved'

(Newser) - The shape of today's violin wasn't the result of some genius's design specifications; instead, it developed over time, likely improving by chance, researchers say. As the Christian Science Monitor reports, an instrument's sound depends heavily on the way air flows through it: The more air that...

Woman Plays Violin During Her Brain Surgery
 Woman Plays 
 Violin During Her 
 Brain Surgery 
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Woman Plays Violin During Her Brain Surgery

Naomi Elishuv serenaded doctors with Mozart as they resolved tremor problem

(Newser) - Naomi Elishuv used to be a world-class violinist who played with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, but uncontrollable shaking caused by a neurological disorder called essential tremor forced her to stop playing 20 years ago, the Telegraph reports. She only recently learned of deep brain stimulation, the surgery that could...

One of World's Priciest Violins Was Hidden in Heiress's Closet

Bidding has begun for Stradivarius owned by Huguette Clark

(Newser) - Funny what turns up in the closet of reclusive, deceased heiress: In this case, one of the world's most expensive musical instruments. Christie's has begun accepting sealed bids for a 1731 Stradivarius violin that had been in a closet of Huguette Clark for about 25 years, reports NBC...

Barred From Plane, Violinist Plays Bach on Tarmac

Zach De Pue gets revenge in perfect fashion

(Newser) - When US Airways wouldn't let a classically trained violinist bring his violin aboard a plane, he responded in appropriate fashion: He played Bach on the tarmac in protest. More precisely, Zach de Pue of the trio Times for Three played Bach's Prelude from the Sonata in E Major...

Stradivarius No Match for New Violins, Test Finds

Soloists assess renowned instruments with surprising results

(Newser) - Musicians have long been captivated by the instruments of the Stradivari family; centuries after they were built, they've become the stuff of legend. Yet new blind tests seem to shatter the notion that a Stradivarius is actually superior to today's violins. In fact, the tests found expert violinists...

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