PORTLAND, Ore. — A world-renowned fiddler and composer has been reunited with his violin after it was stolen in November from his vehicle in downtown Portland.
"I'm in disbelief, really," Fraser said. "I'm thankful and in a little bit of shock, I suppose."
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, a fiddler and a cellist, were preparing for a performance in Portland when their instruments and equipment were swiped.
Fraser put up signs and visited musical instrument shops — asking everyone to look out for his violin.
Weeks later, Fraser had, somewhat regrettably, started looking for a new violin to play.
“I was realizing how difficult it was going to be to replace what I had, but at the same time you have to be stoic and you have to just get on with it, you know," he said.
Then this week, he received a phone call.
"I just thought it was some kind of trick, this this can't be real," he said. "So I was kind of stunned into silence, and then I realized it was true."
At David Kerr Violin Shop in Southeast Portland, longtime employee Andy Emert had spotted something unusual when walking by a violin at the front counter.
"Seeing that violin — my reaction was, I think that could be the one that Alasdair said had gone missing," Emert said.
Emert said a couple walked in to sell the violin, its double case, and four bows. The shop bought the items with a check, quickly realized they were Fraser’s stolen instruments, and canceled the check.
They called Fraser, who took a flight to Portland at 5 a.m. the next day.
"I still couldn't really believe it, I had to go put my hands on it, you know, and then kind of touch it," he said.
Fraser, a world-class Scottish fiddler, was reconnected with longtime companion.
"I feel very fortunate not only for this to happen to me, but to be able to share a good news story, you know, because man, do we need a good news story."
Back home in California, Fraser said he was thinking of an optimistic and proud song he wrote for his father, playing KGW a sample of "Rob Fraser's Welcome to San Francisco."
"There's something very simpatico about the instruments that that we use," he said. "It's like picking up part of your own body and that familiarity is quite incredible."
Fraser said he’ll get back to performing in the new year, re-energized to write and play music.
“It's an honor to lead a life following the fiddle, as I always say," he said. "We'll be back in Portland again! You know, we can't wait to come back and we are really, really thankful for all the support that the people of Portland showed for this. It resonated.”
Fraser said he wants to encourage people to come to live music concerts and he'd like to use this experience to shine a light on income disparity in American cities.