Yes, violinist Karen Gomyo stows her priceless Stradivarius in the overhead compartment when she's flying. "Usually, I put my coat next to it so it looks like there's no room for anything else in there,'' said Gomyo, who is playing the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Florida Orchestra May 1-3. "Actually, it's pretty safe. What scares me sometimes is when I go through airport security and they ask me to open the case so they can inspect it. That's when I just sweetly tell them it's very fragile.''

Gomyo's Strad is the "Ex Foulis,'' dating back to 1703 and getting its title, she thinks, from a Scottish violinist by the name of Foulis who once played it. The instrument is on permanent loan to her from an anonymous benefactor who gave it to her when she was 19. "He'd been following my career since I was 12,'' said Gomyo, now 27, adding that the owner pays the insurance on the violin. "I just feel so blessed.''

When she is traveling, Gomyo doesn't let the Strad out of her sight.  "It's like a human baby,'' she said. "I always keep a part of my body -- my foot or my hand or whatever -- touching the case.''

Except when it's in the overhead bin.

Read my review of the first night's performance.

Photo: Florida Orchestra

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