Theft Has Musician Singing the Blues

Someone stole seven-tenths of Anthony Plog’s livelihood this week.

His car, parked near the University of Southern California campus, was broken into and seven horns--five trumpets, a cornet and a fluegelhorn--were stolen from the trunk. Police estimated the monetary loss at $4,500.

But Plog felt it more keenly than that. He is a professional musician, a classical trumpeter, and the horns were cherished and carefully selected musical partners.

“I still have the baroque trumpet I was using at the USC rehearsal,” he said, “and two other horns--if you include an old cornet I think is up in my attic. I’ve borrowed a trumpet for general use as a stopgap . . . but it’s not the same.

“Selling those stolen instruments will never make anyone rich,” he said. “But losing them has made a poor man of me. . . . “