A 79-year-old violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra is expressing hope for the recovery of his stolen violin, which was taken from a train.
Joseph Maher reported that his 20th Century violin was stolen from the overhead storage compartment on a Thameslink train traveling to Cambridge on Friday, shortly after he disembarked at Blackfriars.
Inside the case were two bows, one of which Maher has cherished since he was 18 years old, making it particularly significant to him.
„It’s your arm,“ he stated. „I had just had it refurbished by the original maker. It was totally personal.“
Residing in Haywards Heath, Maher has owned the violin for over two decades, and he estimates that a replacement would cost around £15,000.
„It’s so personal,“ he remarked. „I loved it as an instrument. The financial loss is secondary to the personal loss.“
Maher realized he had left the violin on the train immediately after exiting at Blackfriars. He mentioned that station personnel made calls, but they were informed that the train could not be searched for the instrument until it arrived in Cambridge.
„It was an hour and 20 minutes until Cambridge,“ he explained. „They checked and I was told there was nothing there.“
Having been a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since 1986, Maher shared that a colleague lent him a violin to use temporarily, which he played during a concert on the same day as the theft.
Maher expressed optimism about the possibility of recovering his instrument, stating he believed there was a „reasonable chance“ it could be returned to him. He also hoped that the violin would be challenging to sell.
The British Transport Police confirmed that they were notified about the theft on Saturday and that investigations are currently underway.
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Bildquelle: ai-generated-gemini
