South African violinist Petrus De Beer has been reunited with his instrument thanks to two local citizens
On 22 July 2022, South African violinist Petrus De Beer’s violin was stolen out of his parked car in Cape Town, South Africa. The instrument held great sentimental value for De Beer, as it had belonged to his mother and had been given to him shortly before she died in 2011. It was made in 1896 by Léon Fischesser, a French violin maker who worked in Geneva, Staufen in Baden, Mulhausen, and ended up in Paris working for Faubourg Poissonière and at Avenue de Villiers in the early 20th century.
‘I’m totally devastated. No words. The damage incomprehensible… It’s like a piece of my heart is gone,’ De Beer said at the time. The theft was reported to the police, and a reward offered for the violin’s return.
Meanwhile, Cape Town residents Wally and Beatrice van Staden unknowingly discovered the stolen violin at a local flea market and reportedly purchased it for a cheap price. However, it was only 18 months later that, during the process of moving house, they looked online to gauge the violin’s worth. Upon discovering its value, the Van Stadens allegedly contacted the police yet received no interest. Undeterred, they searched further online and came across De Beer’s post on Facebook detailing the theft, and promptly contacted him.
On 8 September, on the thirteenth anniversary of his mother’s death, De Beer was reunited with his violin and the Van Stadens were immediately rewarded for their aid.
De Beer is a first violinist with the Cape Town Philharmonic (CPO), and in gratitude for his violin’s safe return, he elected to donate a different violin to a promising young student. The recipient was Corban Beukes, a 16-year-old violinist in the Cape Town Youth Orchestra, who performed as a soloist with the CPO as part of the Artscape Youth Classical Concert on 5 October. It was with this donated instrument that De Beer completed his master’s degree and first joined the CPO.
Read: Missing: stolen cello in Cape Town, South Africa
Read: Missing €100,000 violin found dumped by a Parisian trash can
The number one source for playing and teaching books, guides, CDs, calendars and back issues of the magazine.
In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.
The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.
The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.
No comments yet