After more than 30 years, Roman Totenberg's stolen Stradivarius violin has been found. The violin disappeared in 1980 after he left it to greet people at a concert, according to the Associated Press.
He left it in his office at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time of the disappearance, the violin virtuoso was a director, a teacher, and a soloist with major orchestras. He was a legend who worked with musicians like Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Leopold Stokowski, and Arthur Rubinstein, according to the New York Times.
Totenberg's daughter confirmed the discovery of her father's stolen violin on Thursday, according to NPR. Unfortunately, the violinist wasn't able to see his prized violin returned, having died in 2012, according to the New York Times.
Crafted in 1743, the Ames Stradivarius was valued at $250,000 when it was stolen. Today, the violin is valued for much more, many Stradivarius violins selling for millions of dollars, according to the New York Times.
For years, Totenberg had suspected one person in particular for the theft, and after nearly four decades, his suspicions were confirmed when the FBI got a hold of the stolen violin, according to NPR. The alleged thief was Phillip Johnson who's ex-wife found the violin years later while cleaning.
No charges are expected to be filed, and the violin will soon be returned to the family, according to the AP.
