Robert Korda's, Violinist, 68, LA Times
DGH
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-violinist14-2009jul14,0,2440988.story
Missing Los Angeles violinist found dead
Robert Korda's body was discovered Sunday [July 122, 2009] at the coroner's
office. He'd been dead since the day he disappeared, July 8, but the police
search had been waylaid by a clerical error.
By Victoria Kim
July 14, 2009
As afternoon turned to evening July 8, Robert Alan Korda seemed to have
disappeared into thin air.
The former L.A. Philharmonic violinist left his Van Nuys home about 3 p.m.
but never showed up at the Hollywood studio where he was scheduled to work
that evening. His family made frantic calls to police and hospitals and to
his cellphone provider. When they received little clue as to his
whereabouts, they turned to the Internet as a last resort.
"I don't know where to begin," his son, Noah Korda, wrote on a blog after
his father's disappearance. "I know that sometimes sending out messages like
this can help locate people. I am asking for any help at this point."
Noah Korda's pleas rapidly spread through cyberspace, and soon, photos and
descriptions of the violinist and his 1994 Geo Metro were posted on blogs
and Twitter accounts. Through his own blog, Noah Korda organized a search
party to comb the streets near the last place his father was seen.
But on Sunday came the news that the elder Korda was dead and that, all
along, his body had been at the coroner's office.
Coroner's officials said Korda, 68, had been found unresponsive shortly
before 7 p.m. July 8 at a home in Glendale. The violinist was rushed to the
hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour later, Los Angeles County
coroner's spokesman Ed Winter said.
The violinist had gone undetected by investigators looking for Korda because
he had been mistakenly entered into the system as "Robert Norda."
Investigators realized Sunday that Korda's body was at the coroner's office,
said LAPD officer Bruce Borihanh. Officers with the missing persons unit
were continuing their investigation to determine the circumstances
surrounding Korda's death, Borihanh said.
Korda appeared to have died of natural causes, but an exact cause has not
yet been determined, coroner's officials said.
"I'm just happy that we were able to locate him," his son said Monday.
Though distraught, the son said he was surprised by the overwhelming support
he got in his online search effort.
Korda began his career as a second violinist at the L.A. Philharmonic during
the 1960-61 season and played with the orchestra until 1980.
Childhood friend and colleague Pete Snyder, a recently retired L.A.
Philharmonic cellist, said Korda was an upbeat, dedicated musician with a
great sense of humor who loved people and the violin.
"Whatever he was playing, he put his heart and soul into it," said Snyder,
who said he met Korda as a teenager when they were in competing chamber
music groups and became lifelong friends.
Korda, who was a few years older, was a talented musician with a beautiful
sound, and a great improviser, Snyder recalled.
Since leaving the philharmonic, Korda had worked as a freelance musician and
played with various orchestras and chamber groups. He was the leader of
Monseigneur Strings, a group of strolling violinists formed by his older
brother, the late Murray Korda.
Magnus
> -
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-violinist14-2009jul14,0,24409...
>
> Missing Los Angeles violinist found dead
>
> Robert Korda's body was discovered Sunday [July 122, 2009] at the coroner's
> office. He'd been dead since the day he disappeared, July 8, but the police
> search had been waylaid by a clerical error.
>
> By Victoria Kim
>
> July 14, 2009
>
> As afternoon turned to evening July 8, Robert Alan Korda seemed to have
> disappeared into thin air.
>
What an interesting story. I can imagine that a writer could make a
good mystery novel out of this. Thanks for posting.
Magnus
Larc
wrote:
True, but he had died and nobody made any effort to notify his family? This
seems to indicate a much more serious problem than a simple typo.
It may get far more interesting once *all* the facts come out.
Larc
Magnus
> On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:30:37 -0700 (PDT), Magnus <robertchamp2...@yahoo.com>
Yes, it could get very interesting. I hope there is some way to keep
abreast of it.
He must have had some ID on him somewhere--unless it was removed by
someone at the place where he was found, which seems to have been a
private home.
A strange way for a classical musician to meet his demise.
Magnus
Bob Feigel
<la...@notmyaddress.com> magnanimously proffered:
Sounds pretty slack.
Maybe they were looking for the family of Robert Norda.
Or maybe someone at the house where he died deliberately gave the
authorities a slightly incorrect identity in order to delay the
information coming out.
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
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