Watch the horrifying moment conductor knocks priceless violin out of soloist’s hand

29 April 2026, 17:40

Conductor accidentally hits violin worth millions to the floor

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra show went on, after the instrument escaped unscathed.

Think you had a bad day at work? Last week, conductor Matthew Halls accidentally knocked a valuable 18th-century violin from the soloist’s hands during a live performance with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in Finland. And the whole thing was captured on video. Talk about squeaky bow time.

Violinist Elina Vähälä was performing the finale of Bruch’s Violin Concerto with Sinfonia Lahti when conductor Matthew Halls inadvertently hit the instrument with his arm, knocking it to the ground to the tune of horrified gasps from the audience.

Read more: Violin soloist handles a nightmare bow break with sheer professionalism and style

Vähälä’s instrument is a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin dating from the 18th century. While its exact value has not been confirmed, other, similar Guadagnini violins have sold for more than €1m at international auctions – and in some cases up to €3m.

Despite the incident, the instrument miraculously escaped serious damage. Vähälä said it suffered only a slight separation of its top from the ribs and has since been repaired.

In a Facebook post, the violinist said she had relaxed her grip after finishing the final chord of the passage, which was “all that was needed” for the instrument to slip.

“I discovered that I must be a ninja for managing to block the initial impact with my foot,” she said, adding: “Miraculously the violin got no cracks, no scratches even.”

After briefly inspecting and tuning the instrument on stage, Vähälä signalled that the show must go on. She also praised Halls, with whom she was working for the first time, and said she looked forward to performing with him again.