“A 300-year-old Stradivarius violin on loan to Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond was stolen during an armed robbery after a performance by Almond at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said Tuesday,” write Jesse Garza and Jim Higgins in Tuesday’s (1/28) Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee). “Almond was attacked with a stun gun and robbed of the instrument … shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday in a parking lot in the rear of the school…. As Almond lay on the pavement the robber fled to a nearby vehicle, described as a maroon or burgundy minivan driven by an accomplice, which then left the scene…. Almond had played a concert Monday evening at Wisconsin Lutheran as part of his Frankly Music series…. Investigators believe the instrument, known in musical circles as the Lipinski Stradivarius, was the primary target of the robbery…. [Police] are working with investigators with the FBI’s art crimes team based in Quantico, Va., which specializes in high-end art thefts, and have notified Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization…. Mark Niehaus, MSO president and executive director, said Almond was recovering from the attack and would not be on stage this weekend…. Anyone with information on the vehicle or the robbery is asked to call Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7360.”
Posted January 29, 2014
