Stolen £150,000 violin was my voice, says musician

"An instrument to a musician is way more than an object, it's more of a companion," says classical violinist David Lopez Ibanez, whose 18th Century violin was stolen in February.

The instrument, which is worth more than £150,000, was stolen from a north London pub, a moment that Mr Ibanez described as "a musician's worst nightmare".

Mr Ibanez, who is a member of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, said the violin was his "voice".

"It's the loss and the grief that it takes a while to get over. I don't think I have got over it yet. You have to search for other tools to try and find your sound back but obviously it was linked to that instrument."

The violin was produced in Florence in 1740 by renowned instrument maker Lorenzo Carcassi.

It was stolen on the evening of 18 February from The Marquess Tavern on Canonbury Street in Islington, while Mr Ibanez was having dinner with a friend.

Mr Ibanez reported the theft to the Met Police that evening.

"The violin was always right next to me, and then when we were about to leave, it wasn't," Mr Ibanez said. "It's entirely heartbreaking.

"I had it for eight years prior to the theft and it's seen me grow through college, my first professional auditions, lots of highs and lows, bad moments and good moments.

"An instrument to a musician is way more than an object, it's more of a companion.

"It comes with you everywhere around the world and it allows you to communicate something greater.

"It becomes your voice really, so aside of the actual monetary value of it, to me it really was priceless."

Mr Ibanez explained how the violin was bought for him to play by a German businessman, who he said was "an amazing music lover".

"He'd seen a video of me playing and decided to buy the instrument for me to play, which is very generous of of him," he added. "That's the reality of most classical musicians.

"These things are so incredibly valuable it would be very hard to actually own one, so we do rely on these people's generosity."

Mr Ibanez said he was still trying to deal with the loss of the instrument.

"I'm still trying my best to to get up there and play music the best way I can, but obviously you have to deal with all that's inside and all the loss."

The violin has a unique feature - a small heart-shaped cut-out on the back of the scroll at the top of the instrument.

"If people at home have seen a violin of this description in a pawn shop, in a secondhand shop, wherever, antiques, markets, if they have purchased it, please do the right thing and bring it forward," Mr Ibanez said.

"But if you have seen it, get in touch with the police.

"The violin has a hole in the shape of a heart in the scroll. That's a very distinctive feature, it doesn't come up often, it's very rare."