“Law enforcement officials are seeking the public’s help to track down a rare cello valued at $100,000 that was stolen Wednesday night,” writes Alex Riggins in Saturday’s (8/11) San Diego Union Tribune. “The burglary happened sometime between 8 and 10 p.m. at the Town and Country San Diego [hotel]…. The instrument’s owner, John Walz, the principal cellist with the Los Angeles Opera, posted about the theft on Facebook Thursday, saying he ‘needed to get the word out there. Yesterday I checked into my hotel in San Diego, went out to dinner, and when I came back, my room had been broken into, everything stolen—including my cello’ … The accomplished musician … also performs as a soloist and in the group Pacific Trio…. Investigators said the suspect or suspects forced their way into the unoccupied room … It wasn’t immediately clear if the burglar or burglars were targeting the instrument. The cello was made by Mario Miralles, a well-known maker of stringed instruments from Alta Dena [California].… Walz wrote on Facebook that the instrument was in a red carbon fiber case with a single latch. Inside the case there were also two bows—a gold-mounted Garner Wilson and an Arcus.”
Posted August 13, 2018
