A rising star of classical music performed for taxi drivers at an airport in New York yesterday to thank a driver for returning his $4 million Stradivarius violin.

Philippe Quint, a Grammy award-nominated violinist, played Paganini from the film The Red Violin, an arrangement of Gershwin and one of his own compositions to a lunchtime crowd of 200 drivers at Newark Liberty international airport.

“The atmosphere is very interesting, to say the least” Mr Quint told The Times. “Right now, it really feels I am among my friends.”

Mr Quint, 34, promised to give the unusual performance after Mohamed Khalil, a taxi driver, returned the 1723 Antonio Stradivari “ex-Kiesewetter” — on loan from a wealthy philanthropist — when the musician left it behind in his taxi.

The violinist and his girlfriend climbed into the car driven by Mr Khalil at Newark airport shortly after midnight on April 21.

Mr Khalil took them to Mr Quint's flat in Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan but drove off without realising they had left the violin behind.

Mr Quint called the police and the airport authority and went to the offices of the Newark Taxi Commission to try to find the instrument.

The next morning Mr Khalil, 57, unwittingly took the violin with him as he took passengers to New Jersey and New York and went to a car inspection. When he learnt of the hunt he arranged to return the violin.

Mr Quint, who was born in Russia, is not the first classical musician to leave his instrument behind.

A violinist in Toronto forgot his $77,000 (£39,000) violin as he climbed aboard a bus. It was returned when it was spotted in the shopping trolley of a homeless woman.

In 2004 Gidon Kremer left his $3 million Guarneri del Gesù violin on a train in Baltimore. It was retrieved by porters at the next stop.

Perhaps the most famous incident occurred when Yo-Yo Ma left his $2 million cello in a taxi after performing at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1999. It was also returned to him.

When Mr Quint was reunited with his violin he dropped to his knees in joy.

“He hugged me, he cried, he said he couldn't believe it. I didn't even know what was in the bag,” Mr Khalil said. “He said, 'This violin is my life and it belongs to someone else'.”

Mr Quint gave Mr Khalil the $100 he had in his wallet but promised to thank him by performing for taxi drivers at Newark airport.

Mr Khalil, who emigrated from Egypt in 1980, received a medal from Newark's Mayor for his honesty.

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