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Street Musician Offering Reward For Stolen Cello

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The search is on for a cello, stolen in a smash and grab burglary from a street musician in downtown Sacramento.

The loss has left Travis Nutsch heartbroken.

"I'm crushed, and like, distraught that it's gone," Nutsch said.

Nutsch has a plea for the public. He's offering a reward for the return of his most treasured possession, his cello.

"I love the cello more than any woman I've ever met," Nutsch said.

Nutsch is praying for the chance to play it again.

"It's got a really deep rich tone to it," Nutsch said.

Someone stole it, in a smash and grab burglary, after he left it inside his truck. Photos and videos posted on social media websites show Nutsch playing his treasured cello at the Downtown Commons.

Nutsch is a classically trained cellist who earns his living playing for people passing by on the street.

"God's given me purpose to play for people on the street," Nutsch said. "That's what he wants me to do."

Nutsch says whoever has his cello now, likely has no idea what to do with it.

"I don't even like to think of someone else touching it," Nutsch said. "It's my cello."

Nutsch is a traveling musician, who built a tiny house on a trailer, complete with lights and a shower. So he's always home on the road.

"I keep memories of people I met or whatever," Nutsch said. "This is a business card of an artist I met on the street."

It's a lifestyle that's allowed him to share his music with the masses. Now he needs the public to help him find his irreplaceable instrument.

"I love that cello," Nutsch said.

Nutch says the cello was made in Germany in the 1950s. He has filed a police report and has been searching pawn shops for any signs of it.

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