[MSN] Musician's rare violin goes missing from NYC subway station

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Musician's rare violin goes missing from NYC subway station
July 3, 2007, 10:47 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) _ A musician whose rare 20th-century violin went missing after he fell asleep in a hot subway station pleaded for the return of his instrument Tuesday night.

Tom Chiu, a Juilliard School graduate and founder of the avant-garde ensemble Flux Quartet, said his Scarampella violin and his backpack were stolen June 27 after a gig in Brooklyn.

He said it was raining that night and he went into the hot and humid subway station and fell asleep. When he awoke, he said, his bags were gone.

"It's been my heart and soul for the last 13 years," Chiu said of the violin. "There is also a precious bow that I have used since childhood and other items in my violin case. All have great sentimental value to me and are completely irreplaceable. I hope the person who has my violin will return it to me. I would be forever grateful."

Chiu would not say what the violin, which originally belonged to his parents, was worth.

The violin was made by Stefano Scarampella, one of the most highly regarded violin makers from the early 20th century in Italy.

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