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Second-round competitors announced for 2025 Premio Paganini International Violin Competition
Prizes awarded at the 2025 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
Violinist Merel Vercammen: the freedom of self-releasing on her own label
A musical day during the Belle Époque: violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti on her album ‘Lumière du Temps’
A musical day during the Belle Époque: violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti on her album ‘Lumière du Temps’
The Hermes Experiment: starting an ensemble without a blueprint
Fitzwilliam Quartet appoints new violist
Violinist María Dueñas wins two Gramophone awards
Colin Alexander: from resembling to reassembling the human voice on the cello
Violinist María Dueñas wins two Gramophone awards
The 22-year-old was recognised as Young Artist of the Year and also triumphed in the Instrumental category
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra appoints new associate concertmaster
Violinist Rimma Benyumova assumes the role from December 2025
Yo-Yo Ma: celebrating 70 years of the eminent cellist
The legendary cellist was born on 7 October 1955. We take a look at some moments of the cellist’s unparalleled career over the decades
Playing Hub
Postcard from Idaho: Sun Valley Music Festival
The Sun Valley Music Festival is a unique experience where visitors can hear free concerts performed by first-rate musicians in a beautiful setting, as Emma Baker discovered
The Calidore Quartet: scaling the summit
Having completed the epic task of recording all of Beethoven’s string quartets, the members of the Calidore Quartet speak to Thomas May about their 15‑year journey from Colburn classmates to international acclaim
Colin Alexander: from resembling to reassembling the human voice on the cello
Colin Alexander reflects on what it means for a cello to sound like a voice, in light of new transcriptions of vocal works for the Early Chorus Cello Ensemble
Lighting up the room: the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble in Los Alamos
Richard Linnett attended a Stateside performance from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble on 11 October 2025, comprising octet works by Francaix, Huw Watkins and Schubert
Departing from the script: cellist Clarice Jensen on her new album and touring with My Chemical Romance
The New York-based cellist and composer chats with Lauren Wesley-Smith about her album In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness, and her experience of stadium shows with the American rock band
A cello distortion rock-up: Zoë Martlew performs ‘G-lude’
When a cello rocks out and sounds like an electric guitar: the cellist and composer shares some detailed insights on the extreme and experimental techniques at play in her work
Premium ❘ Feature
The Calidore Quartet: scaling the summit
Having completed the epic task of recording all of Beethoven’s string quartets, the members of the Calidore Quartet speak to Thomas May about their 15‑year journey from Colburn classmates to international acclaim
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Home-made tools for violin making
A range of innovative implements made by hand from carbon steels and high-speed steels
Premium ❘ Feature
The Calidore Quartet: scaling the summit
Having completed the epic task of recording all of Beethoven’s string quartets, the members of the Calidore Quartet speak to Thomas May about their 15‑year journey from Colburn classmates to international acclaim
Premium ❘ Focus
Sentimental Work: Rosalind Ventris on Elgar’s Violin Concerto
Early recordings of Elgar’s Violin Concerto opened up a new world of expressive possibilities for the British violist – despite her never having played it
Premium ❘ Focus
Opinion: How to navigate competitions
Lucie Robert, violinist and professor at the Manhattan School of Music, offers sage advice to young string players planning to step on to the competition path
Competitions
Second-round competitors announced for 2025 Premio Paganini International Violin Competition
Twelve violinists will perform in the second round, taking place on 18 and 19 October in Genoa
Prizes awarded at the 2025 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
The top prize of $10,000 and future performance engagements went to baroque violinist Danqi Zeng
Laureates announced for the 2025 Michał Spisak International Music Competition
Eight prizes and three distinctions were awarded in the violin, viola, and cello divisions
Premium ❘ News
Premiere of the Month: Bobby Ge’s new violin concerto
A new ballet-inspired violin concerto
Premium ❘ News
Competitions, Awards and Appointments: November 2025
The latest competition results, appointments and forthcoming contests
Masterclass: Dvořák Romance in F minor op.11
Violinist Grace Park examines ways of creating nuance and variety in this seemingly simple piece, which is imbued with folk elements characteristic of Dvořák’s heritage
Masterclass: Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant op.14 for violin and piano
Violinist Nancy Zhou demonstrates the breadth of Ysaÿe’s expressive devices in an intimate piece dedicated to his son
Masterclass: Dvořák Romance in F minor op.11
Violinist Grace Park examines ways of creating nuance and variety in this seemingly simple piece, which is imbued with folk elements characteristic of Dvořák’s heritage
Masterclass: Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant op.14 for violin and piano
Violinist Nancy Zhou demonstrates the breadth of Ysaÿe’s expressive devices in an intimate piece dedicated to his son
Masterclass: Beethoven Violin Sonata No.9 ‘Kreutzer’, first movement
Capturing the music’s sense of tumultuous energy is key to portraying Beethoven’s unpredictable character in this movement, says violinist Kristin Lee
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
Second-round competitors announced for 2025 Premio Paganini International Violin Competition
Twelve violinists will perform in the second round, taking place on 18 and 19 October in Genoa
Prizes awarded at the 2025 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
The top prize of $10,000 and future performance engagements went to baroque violinist Danqi Zeng
Laureates announced for the 2025 Michał Spisak International Music Competition
Eight prizes and three distinctions were awarded in the violin, viola, and cello divisions
Colin Alexander: from resembling to reassembling the human voice on the cello
Colin Alexander reflects on what it means for a cello to sound like a voice, in light of new transcriptions of vocal works for the Early Chorus Cello Ensemble
Colin Alexander: from resembling to reassembling the human voice on the cello
A cello distortion rock-up: Zoë Martlew performs ‘G-lude’
Bach’s Sixth Suite Prelude on five-stringed baroque cello
New video: Yo-Yo Ma and Icelandic choir perform ‘Earth Hymn’
‘These pieces are tied to our upbringing as a quartet’ - The Novo Quartet presents its debut album
Five years on: the Sacconi Quartet’s pandemic-era performance of Jonathan Dove’s ‘Out of Time’
Tonia Ko’s ‘Soothe a Tooth’ performed by violist Stephen Upshaw
Violinist Maya Magub celebrates Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 150th anniversary with ‘Valse Mauresque’
Signum Quartet performs Priaulx Rainier’s Scherzo
Cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia performs his own composition, ‘Ouróboros’
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Trade Secrets: Home-made tools for violin making
A range of innovative implements made by hand from carbon steels and high-speed steels
In Focus: A 1705 violin by Antonio Maria Lavazza
Claudio Amighetti examines an instrument by the little-known maker
The Strad Calendar 2026: 1710 ‘Meneses’ Matteo Gofriller cello
With a deep amber-brown varnish, this was for many years the principal performing instrument of cellist Antonio Meneses
Heroes of the Jazz Age: American bows in 1925
For many reasons, the 1920s saw the first great boom in American bow making. Raphael Gold tells the stories of some of the original US bow makers and examines examples of their work
The Strad Calendar 2026: 1691 ‘Leopold Auer’ Antonio Stradivari violin
The instrument, with copious red-brown varnish, is named after one of the most important violin pedagogues who ever lived
My Space: Paolo Virgoletti’s Parma workshop
Take a peek into the Italian workshop
Trade Secrets: Home-made tools for violin making
A range of innovative implements made by hand from carbon steels and high-speed steels
In Focus: A 1705 violin by Antonio Maria Lavazza
Claudio Amighetti examines an instrument by the little-known maker
The Strad Calendar 2026: 1710 ‘Meneses’ Matteo Gofriller cello
With a deep amber-brown varnish, this was for many years the principal performing instrument of cellist Antonio Meneses
Heroes of the Jazz Age: American bows in 1925
For many reasons, the 1920s saw the first great boom in American bow making. Raphael Gold tells the stories of some of the original US bow makers and examines examples of their work
The Strad Calendar 2026: 1691 ‘Leopold Auer’ Antonio Stradivari violin
The instrument, with copious red-brown varnish, is named after one of the most important violin pedagogues who ever lived
My Space: Paolo Virgoletti’s Parma workshop
Take a peek into the Italian workshop
Concert review: Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
Peter Quantrill hears the performance of Bacewicz, Dvořák and Enescu at London’s Wigmore Hall on 15 July 2025
Concert review: Parker Quartet
Leah Hollingsworth hears the performance of Mozart, Kurtág and Ravel at the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont, US, on 21 August 2025
Concert review: Mandelring Quartet / Atos Trio
Carlos María Solare attends the Hambacher MusikFest for two days - 20 and 22 June 2025 - to hear performances of Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, Dessoff and Borodin
The Strad Recommends: Stefan Tarara, Eun-Sun Hong: Haydn
Plenty to enjoy in this latest instalment of a slowly evolving cycle
The Strad Recommends: Antje Weithaas: Dvořák
An exceptional violinist shows her versatility to magical effect
The Strad Recommends: Frank Peter Zimmermann: Bartók, Szymanowski
An inspired partnership brings these works alive
Book review: Re-Reading the Beethoven Violin Sonatas
Robin Stowell reads pianist Daniel Tong’s detailed analysis of Beethoven’s ten sonatas for piano and violin
Book review: Theme and Variations: Cautionary Tales of a 2nd Violin
Anne Inglis reviews the autobiography of British violinist Peter Markham, a member of the Edinburgh Quartet for more than two decades
Book review: Kloz: The Violinmaker Family from Mittenwald
Bharat Khandekar reads Wolfgang Zunterer’s long-awaited volume on one of Germany’s most important violin making families
Debate
Opinion: How to navigate competitions
Lucie Robert, violinist and professor at the Manhattan School of Music, offers sage advice to young string players planning to step on to the competition path
Opinion: The dangers of perfectionism
In striving to become the best player or educator you can be, it’s important not to fall into the trap of unhelpful perfectionism, say violinists and teachers Claire Allen and Christine Goodner
Debate
Opinion: How to navigate competitions
Lucie Robert, violinist and professor at the Manhattan School of Music, offers sage advice to young string players planning to step on to the competition path
Opinion: The dangers of perfectionism
In striving to become the best player or educator you can be, it’s important not to fall into the trap of unhelpful perfectionism, say violinists and teachers Claire Allen and Christine Goodner
Accessories
Products November 2025: Violin Factory Education ABS Violin
A plastic violin designed to make early learning more efficient and affordable
Products November 2025: D’Andrea String Cleaner
A new product to remove build-up on violin and viola strings
Products November 2025: Arcofrog Zipline
Arcofrog’s new product helps with perpendicular bowing in beginners
Concert review: Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
Peter Quantrill hears the performance of Bacewicz, Dvořák and Enescu at London’s Wigmore Hall on 15 July 2025
Concert review: Parker Quartet
Leah Hollingsworth hears the performance of Mozart, Kurtág and Ravel at the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont, US, on 21 August 2025
Concert review: Mandelring Quartet / Atos Trio
Carlos María Solare attends the Hambacher MusikFest for two days - 20 and 22 June 2025 - to hear performances of Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, Dessoff and Borodin
Book review: Re-Reading the Beethoven Violin Sonatas
Robin Stowell reads pianist Daniel Tong’s detailed analysis of Beethoven’s ten sonatas for piano and violin
Book review: Theme and Variations: Cautionary Tales of a 2nd Violin
Anne Inglis reviews the autobiography of British violinist Peter Markham, a member of the Edinburgh Quartet for more than two decades
Book review: Kloz: The Violinmaker Family from Mittenwald
Bharat Khandekar reads Wolfgang Zunterer’s long-awaited volume on one of Germany’s most important violin making families
The Strad Recommends: Stefan Tarara, Eun-Sun Hong: Haydn
Plenty to enjoy in this latest instalment of a slowly evolving cycle
The Strad Recommends: Antje Weithaas: Dvořák
An exceptional violinist shows her versatility to magical effect
The Strad Recommends: Frank Peter Zimmermann: Bartók, Szymanowski
An inspired partnership brings these works alive
Artists
The greatest storyteller: Itzhak Perlman at 80
As he turns 80, the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman speaks to Ariane Todes about everything from his stellar career to his teaching ethos, and his approach to social media stardom
Yo-Yo Ma: celebrating 70 years of the eminent cellist
The legendary cellist was born on 7 October 1955. We take a look at some moments of the cellist’s unparalleled career over the decades
Alisa Weilerstein: fragments of the future
The US cellist Alisa Weilerstein talks to Peter Quantrill about reinventing the solo recital for a multimedia age, and working with living composers to renew the concerto repertoire
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