Homeless cello player from Redding receives gift from anonymous donor

When Kieun Steve Kim saw the light on his desk phone he was at first amibivalent about checking his voice mail. It was Sunday, after all.

As Simpson University's music director, Kim also had a busy day ahead of him, preparing for the school's annual Christmas concert. He wanted to stay focused on what he needed to do to get ready for the show.

But he didn't. He gave in to distraction.

To Kim, though, the message carried with it a huge impact on a protege of his — a homeless woman living on the streets of Redding.

The man explained that he read an article in the Record Searchlight on Sunday about a homeless woman who plays the cello and who has been described by Kim as a "genius" in her craft.

The article explains that the woman, Alissa Johnson, bought on credit a custom, German-made carbon fiber cello earlier this year and has been making payments on it.

The man, who wants to remain anonymous, offered to pay off the cost of the cello, Kim said.

"And I was just so touched by that I was in tears," Kim said. "He said he read the article. And he said that this is such a unique story. And he is hoping that more people would find out and help bring more hope to Alissa."

Johnson said she bought the cello through Christian Eggert Violins in Fargo, North Dakota, where she grew up. Because she is a longtime customer, the music store let her make payments on the instrument, which originally cost some $7,300.

The cello arrived in Redding last summer, on a day that hit 113 degrees outside. But the heat of the day didn't stop Johnson and her friends from tearing into the crate with her "baby" inside, she said.

Fast forward to December and Johnson said she still had $6,649 left to pay on the cello.

The 33-year-old said she was floored when Kim announced during preparations for the Christmas concert that her cello was being paid off. She said she was so emotionally overcome that she could only utter a breathy "OK."

But she would love to meet her benefactor.

"If they want to meet me, I would be so welcoming to meet them. If they want me to play cello for them, I would still be happy for it. I would do it," Johnson said. "I wish I could give them a hug, like 1,000 hugs or maybe how about like 6,600 hugs."

More: Here’s what it’s like to be a musical ‘genius’ living on the streets of Redding

Later in the day, after finding out someone paid off her cello, Johnson performed in Simpson's Christmas concert, where she was a featured soloist.

"I really think that also affected the level of my playing when I was on stage, because I didn't sound like that in practice," she said.

Ana Nelson, a salesperson at Christian Eggert Violins, said Wednesday that the donor had already paid off the balance owed on the violin.

Johnson said she has been playing the cello since she was 11 and has been a customer of the Christian Eggert store since she was in middle school. The store owners even once repaired a smashed cello for her.

She remembers walking into the store with her broken cello and tears in her eyes.

"I'm still baw when I walk through the door, and they said, "It's OK, we're gonna fix your baby. Don't worry about the cost, we'll work it out,'" she said.

Many years later, they're still working it out — with another cello.

Nelson said she could not remember a stranger ever buying a musical instrument anonymously for a customer.

"I just thought it was amazing that they would do that for her. I've only been here a few years, but I've never seen someone just pay off someone else's cello. Like that was just really, really nice, especially for her," Nelson said.

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Damon Arthur is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 and damon.arthur@redding.com. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Homeless cello player from Redding receives gift from anonymous donor