The March issue of The Strad is on sale now, in which we celebrate the Mandelring Quartet’s 30th anniversary and the thriving specialist system of German string education.

Our German-themed issue also includes: changes in the landscape for Germany’s publicly funded orchestras over the past 25 years; adventurous self-curated festivals andconcert series in Berlin; changes to the German music scene following the fall of the Berlin Wall25 years ago; violinist Clemens Huber and bow maker Irina Feichtl on the creation of a new bow inspired by Émile Auguste Ouchard; and how 20th century German instrument pricescompare with their French and Italian counterparts.

In our regular sections: In Focus gives a close-up view of a 1767 violin by Gabriel Buchstetter; Torbjörn Zethelius gives his method for creating a Cremonese corner template in Trade Secrets; Berlin-based luthier Ragnar Hayn invites us into his workshop in My Space; Antoine Tamestit guides us through Bach’s Cello Suite no.1 arranged for viola in Masterclass; Simon Fischer talks double-stop sequence practice in Basics; German cellist and pedagogue Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt discusses how to produce a strong and colourful tone in Ask the Teacher; German cellist Jan Vogler takes us through his Practice Diary; and five teachers and health specialists give advice on helping double-jointed students in Ask the Experts.

Plus, we bring you news of the latest competitions, products and auctions, and comprehensive reviews of concerts, CDs and books.