In 1989, the home of British violist Sally Beamish was broken into. Among the stolen items was her viola—an instrument crafted in Florence in 1747 and bearing the crest of an influential family. Beamish searched markets and antique shops but never recovered it.
Rather than succumbing to despair, she resolved to draw something meaningful from the dark episode. She hoped that one day she could look back and say, “If my viola hadn’t been stolen, I would not be who I am today.” With this renewed sense of purpose, she returned to composition, a field she had once studied. As a composer, she soon distinguished herself, writing more than two hundred works across a wide range of genres—from chamber and orchestral music to vocal and choral works. In recognition of her contributions, she received the British Composer Award and was appointed to the Order of the British Empire.
For a violist, the viola is almost an extension of oneself. Losing such an instrument must have been devastating. Yet the theft became a turning point in her life—made possible because she chose to turn adversity into opportunity.
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