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Hermitage Piano Trio signs new management deal
Violinist Anna Agafia joins Nordic Artists Management roster
Sounds of change: Ayane Kozasa and Paul Wiancko on the new Kronos Quartet formation
Winners announced at 2024 VSA instrument making competition
New video: Abel Selaocoe performs ‘calm and serene’ Bach
Ophélie Gaillard reunited with her stolen 1737 Goffriller cello
Gaillard’s cello and bows, which were stolen on 25 September, have been returned in perfect condition, with the cellist stating ‘I can breathe again’
Hilary Hahn targeted in AI video impersonation scam
The violinist has warned her followers on social media to be vigilant of suspicious posts and to report impersonators
Playing Hub
Session Report: Nemanja Radulović on the sunny side of Bach
Violinist Nemanja Radulović speaks to Tom Stewart about his no-preconceptions approach to arranging and recording some of Bach’s concertos and shorter pieces, and finding just the right balance of novelty and reverence
Violinist Ning Feng: Truth and substance
There is seemingly nothing the Chinese-born, Berlin‑based violinist Ning Feng can’t do, from dazzling Paganini interpretations to Bach to 20th‑century concertos. He talks to Michael White about his influences, his future plans and his desire to pass on his musical wisdom to the next generation
The cosmopolitan virtuoso: Ivan Mane Jarnović
Tanja Goldberg examines the life and legacy of the violin virtuoso and composer Ivan Mane Jarnović, who died 220 years ago, and whose influence on the development of the violin concerto and violin playing in the 18th century has long lain unrecognised
‘Not bad’ meant ‘Very, very good!’: what was Leonid Kogan like as a violin teacher?
The distinguished French violinist and quartet leader Isabelle Flory studied with Leonid Kogan at the Moscow Conservatoire for three years. She shares her memories of his teaching methods
Stop falling into behaviour loops: the importance of teaching students how to practise
Violinist Hector Scott shares how bad practice habits can create the illusion of progress, and offers solutions to break the cycle
Kristin Lee: ‘Violin gave me an identity that wasn’t established through the colour of my skin’
The violinist speaks about how her experiences as a foreign-born citizen of the US laid the groundwork for her new album American Sketches, which features diverse repertoire from the country she now calls home
Premium ❘ Feature
Celebrating South African music: the Signum Quartet
Carlos María Solare meets the members of the Signum Quartet towards the end of their two-year-long project to commission and perform brand new works that mark 30 years since the fall of apartheid in South Africa
Premium ❘ Feature
Session Report: Nemanja Radulović on the sunny side of Bach
Violinist Nemanja Radulović speaks to Tom Stewart about his no-preconceptions approach to arranging and recording some of Bach’s concertos and shorter pieces, and finding just the right balance of novelty and reverence
Premium ❘ Feature
Celebrating South African music: the Signum Quartet
Carlos María Solare meets the members of the Signum Quartet towards the end of their two-year-long project to commission and perform brand new works that mark 30 years since the fall of apartheid in South Africa
Premium ❘ Focus
Opinion: Practising scales in sequential order
While most string players agree that scales and arpeggios are the basic building blocks for good technique, cellist Robert Jesselson says that it’s essential to practise them sequentially to gain the maximum benefit
Premium ❘ Focus
‘Comparing yourself to others is counter-productive’ - Alisa Weilerstein’s life lessons
The US cellist on creating a balanced career and the influence of musical parents
Competitions
Winners announced at 2024 VSA instrument making competition
Bow makers Victor Bernard and Emmanuel Carlier were named ‘hors concours’ members, while Canadian luthier Fabienne Gauchet received a double gold for quartet - for the second time
Winners announced at the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition
The Dora Piano Trio won CHF5,000 (£4,500), several concert and masterclass opportunities and the commissioning of a new work
Pablo Casals International Award for Young Cellists announces winners
Joint first prize went to Yo Kitamura and Arne Zeller following the final audition round on 16 November 2024
Premium ❘ News
Competitions, Awards and Appointments: December 2024
The latest competition results, appointments and forthcoming contests
Premium ❘ News
Premiere of the Month: Mark Simpson’s new viola concerto for Timothy Ridout
A viola concerto full of struggle yet fearlessness
Masterclass: Saint-Saëns Havanaise op.83
Violinist Max Baillie gives smart and efficient practice tips to showcase a piece for violin and orchestra that juxtaposes lyricism with virtuosic passagework
Masterclass: Schubert Arpeggione Sonata on viola, first movement
Yuri Zhislin illustrates the importance of colour and harmony in a work renowned for its lyricism and technicality
Masterclass: Saint-Saëns Havanaise op.83
Violinist Max Baillie gives smart and efficient practice tips to showcase a piece for violin and orchestra that juxtaposes lyricism with virtuosic passagework
Masterclass: Schubert Arpeggione Sonata on viola, first movement
Yuri Zhislin illustrates the importance of colour and harmony in a work renowned for its lyricism and technicality
Masterclass: Mendelssohn String Quartet in F minor, first movement
Second violinist of the Aris Quartet Noémi Zipperling examines Mendelssohn’s emotionally charged movement, considered to be a requiem for his sister and, ultimately, himself
The Strad Podcast: How to tailor the Suzuki Method to different students with violinist Meghan Faw
The violinist shares her personal experiences with the method as both a student and a teacher
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to practise effectively with violinist Ray Chen
The first in our new four-part education themed podcast series features our September 2024 cover star
The Strad Podcast: How to tailor the Suzuki Method to different students with violinist Meghan Faw
The violinist shares her personal experiences with the method as both a student and a teacher
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
Competitions
Winners announced at 2024 VSA instrument making competition
Bow makers Victor Bernard and Emmanuel Carlier were named ‘hors concours’ members, while Canadian luthier Fabienne Gauchet received a double gold for quartet - for the second time
Winners announced at the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition
The Dora Piano Trio won CHF5,000 (£4,500), several concert and masterclass opportunities and the commissioning of a new work
Pablo Casals International Award for Young Cellists announces winners
Joint first prize went to Yo Kitamura and Arne Zeller following the final audition round on 16 November 2024
New video: Abel Selaocoe performs ‘calm and serene’ Bach
The Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite no.6 is the latest single to be released from the cellist’s upcoming album
New video: Abel Selaocoe performs ‘calm and serene’ Bach
Jordan Bak plays the ‘Silver Leaf Fiddle’ by Andrew Carruthers
Lera Auerbach’s ‘T’filah’ performed by violinist Christine Bernsted
Violinist Jack Liebeck and La Jolla SummerFest Chamber Orchestra perform The Lark Ascending
![Bottesini_Artwork[DIGITAL]](https://dnan0fzjxntrj.cloudfront.net/Pictures/270x180/6/8/9/36689_bottesini_artworkdigital_876468_crop.jpg)
A Mendelssohn-inspired double bass performance from James Oesi
Quartetto di Cremona musicians perform on Vueling flight
ARC Ensemble performs Frederick Block’s Piano Quintet
Video premiere: Lightning, heaven and Earth inspire India Gailey’s new cello concerto
‘Biting wit and playfulness’: violinist Dylan Ebrahimian performs Daria Semegen’s Music for Violin Solo
Vivere Quartet performs Hannah Havrylet’s ‘Expressions’
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How to photograph violins: Tarisio’s Robert Bailey speaks to the VSA
The auction house’s head photographer gives details on his camera set-up, lighting, studio layout and the different requirements of front, side, back and scroll shots
Winners announced at 2024 VSA instrument making competition
Bow makers Victor Bernard and Emmanuel Carlier were named ‘hors concours’ members, while Canadian luthier Fabienne Gauchet received a double gold for quartet - for the second time
Life as a violin maker in 16th-century Venice: an exclusive look
In the December 2024 issue we examine the history of the Linarol dynasty, one of the first violin making families in Venice. Here, Stefano Pio provides some context as to the 16th-century environment in which they worked, as well as a semantic discussion on the terms ‘viole’ and ‘lire’
Violin trivia: Can you beat the VSA’s top brains?
Test your violin knowledge with some of the questions from the VSA convention’s Trivia Night on Monday 18 November
Where the wood came from: Peter Ratcliff speaks to the VSA
The British dendrochronology expert explains his latest research, revealing how wood from one source can appear in centuries-old instruments made thousands of miles apart
Jordan Bak plays the ‘Silver Leaf Fiddle’ by Andrew Carruthers
The unusual violin is currently on display at the ‘New Instrument Exhibit’, part of the Violin Society of America’s 2024 convention in Indianapolis
How to photograph violins: Tarisio’s Robert Bailey speaks to the VSA
The auction house’s head photographer gives details on his camera set-up, lighting, studio layout and the different requirements of front, side, back and scroll shots
Winners announced at 2024 VSA instrument making competition
Bow makers Victor Bernard and Emmanuel Carlier were named ‘hors concours’ members, while Canadian luthier Fabienne Gauchet received a double gold for quartet - for the second time
Life as a violin maker in 16th-century Venice: an exclusive look
In the December 2024 issue we examine the history of the Linarol dynasty, one of the first violin making families in Venice. Here, Stefano Pio provides some context as to the 16th-century environment in which they worked, as well as a semantic discussion on the terms ‘viole’ and ‘lire’
Violin trivia: Can you beat the VSA’s top brains?
Test your violin knowledge with some of the questions from the VSA convention’s Trivia Night on Monday 18 November
Where the wood came from: Peter Ratcliff speaks to the VSA
The British dendrochronology expert explains his latest research, revealing how wood from one source can appear in centuries-old instruments made thousands of miles apart
Jordan Bak plays the ‘Silver Leaf Fiddle’ by Andrew Carruthers
The unusual violin is currently on display at the ‘New Instrument Exhibit’, part of the Violin Society of America’s 2024 convention in Indianapolis
Festival review: Rosendal Festival
Harriet Smith finds that rain certainly didn’t stop play at Leif Ove Andsnes’s inspiring annual Norwegian gathering from 7–11 August 2024
Concert review: Ava Bahari (violin) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Andrew Mellor attends the performance of at Malmö Live Concert Hall in Sweden on 13 September 2024
Concert review: New York Philharmonic Ensembles
Leah Hollingsworth visits New York’s Merkin Concert Hall for the peformance of on 29 September 2024
The Strad Recommends: Steven Isserlis: Music of the Angels
Brilliantly committed performances bring Boccherini to life
The Strad Recommends: Yo-Yo-Ma: Merci
A lifetime’s music making together is poignantly celebrated
The Strad Recommends: Ébène Quartet: Milestones
A 25th-anniversary album finds the quartet on heartfelt form
Book review: Luigi Boccherini: Musica Amorosa
Robin Stowell reviews Babette Kaiserkern’s treatise on the Baroque composer’s life and works, translated into English for the first time
Book review: Expressive Violin Technique: How to Teach and Acquire It
Celia Cobb explores Bruce Douglas Berg’s method to help intermediate to advanced players and teachers ‘combine expression with technique’
Book review: Thumb Position
Caroline Emery reviews double bass tutor Charlotte Mohrs’s introduction to playing in thumb position, published in English for the first time
Debate
Opinion: Practising scales in sequential order
While most string players agree that scales and arpeggios are the basic building blocks for good technique, cellist Robert Jesselson says that it’s essential to practise them sequentially to gain the maximum benefit
Opinion: Avoid cheap instruments for beginners
Cellist and teacher Naomi Yandell urges parents not to buy their children cheap stringed instruments online – it’s a false economy and only leads to disappointment and waste
Debate
Opinion: Practising scales in sequential order
While most string players agree that scales and arpeggios are the basic building blocks for good technique, cellist Robert Jesselson says that it’s essential to practise them sequentially to gain the maximum benefit
Opinion: Avoid cheap instruments for beginners
Cellist and teacher Naomi Yandell urges parents not to buy their children cheap stringed instruments online – it’s a false economy and only leads to disappointment and waste
Accessories
Products December 2024: Larsen Aurora viola strings
Viola strings complete an affordable range
Products December 2024: Arcofrog Peled Bowpen
A new product to help with right hand technique
Products December 2024: Instru Mate instrument finder
A new product to help with finding your instrument
Festival review: Rosendal Festival
Harriet Smith finds that rain certainly didn’t stop play at Leif Ove Andsnes’s inspiring annual Norwegian gathering from 7–11 August 2024
Concert review: Ava Bahari (violin) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Andrew Mellor attends the performance of at Malmö Live Concert Hall in Sweden on 13 September 2024
Concert review: New York Philharmonic Ensembles
Leah Hollingsworth visits New York’s Merkin Concert Hall for the peformance of on 29 September 2024
Book review: Luigi Boccherini: Musica Amorosa
Robin Stowell reviews Babette Kaiserkern’s treatise on the Baroque composer’s life and works, translated into English for the first time
Book review: Expressive Violin Technique: How to Teach and Acquire It
Celia Cobb explores Bruce Douglas Berg’s method to help intermediate to advanced players and teachers ‘combine expression with technique’
Book review: Thumb Position
Caroline Emery reviews double bass tutor Charlotte Mohrs’s introduction to playing in thumb position, published in English for the first time
The Strad Recommends: Steven Isserlis: Music of the Angels
Brilliantly committed performances bring Boccherini to life
The Strad Recommends: Yo-Yo-Ma: Merci
A lifetime’s music making together is poignantly celebrated
The Strad Recommends: Ébène Quartet: Milestones
A 25th-anniversary album finds the quartet on heartfelt form
Artists
Violinist Ning Feng: Truth and substance
There is seemingly nothing the Chinese-born, Berlin‑based violinist Ning Feng can’t do, from dazzling Paganini interpretations to Bach to 20th‑century concertos. He talks to Michael White about his influences, his future plans and his desire to pass on his musical wisdom to the next generation
‘Not bad’ meant ‘Very, very good!’: what was Leonid Kogan like as a violin teacher?
The distinguished French violinist and quartet leader Isabelle Flory studied with Leonid Kogan at the Moscow Conservatoire for three years. She shares her memories of his teaching methods
Kristin Lee: ‘Violin gave me an identity that wasn’t established through the colour of my skin’
The violinist speaks about how her experiences as a foreign-born citizen of the US laid the groundwork for her new album American Sketches, which features diverse repertoire from the country she now calls home
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