British Columbia

Instruments stolen from Shari Ulrich found by Vancouver police

Singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich wrote on Facebook that her precious violins and a mandolin have been found by Vancouver police after they were reported stolen on May 25, 2016.

Juno-winning musician lost a violin she'd played for 43 years along with two other instruments

Shari Ulrich says on social media that she is thankful to the Vancouver Police who found her stolen instruments and those who raised awareness about their theft. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

Singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich says in an elated post of Facebook that her precious violins and a mandolin have been found by Vancouver police after they were reported stolen on May 25, 2016.

In the post Ulrich writes that patrol officers in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside discovered the two violins — one of which she has played for 43 years — and a mandolin that she reported stolen.

Shari Ulrich plays a rented five-string Realist violin after her main instrument she had played for 43 years was stolen in Vancouver. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

"I am SO SO SO happy and so grateful to all for your support and concern," she wrote on her Facebook page. "And wildly appreciative of the Vancouver Police department!!! I'm over the moon!!!!"

Ulrich lives on Bowen Island but often stays with friends in Vancouver. After decades of gigging, usually on the road, she was reluctant to load all her equipment in and out of the car every day.

Instead, Ulrich relied on her dark-tinted windows and a cover over the gear inside to keep her equipment out of sight. She told CBC News on Friday that the instruments were burgled from her vehicle.

The three instruments stolen from Ulrich's vehicle in Vancouver. (Shari Ulrich)

Sadly the bicycle she also reported stolen was not recovered. Ulrich said at the time that the stolen items probably had a value of $8,000, but she said she was more troubled by the loss of them because of their personal value.

Ulrich, who has played solo and in groups including The Pied Pumkin, The Hometown Band, and The High Bar Gang, now plays with musicians like Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor, Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes.

After 43 years without having anything stolen from her vehicle, Ulrich said she'll now have to start loading all of her valuables in and out of the car whenever she parks.