My experience: cellist Findlay Spence, IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses

Prussia Cove is a name that reverberates around the music world. It’s something I’ve always been aware of, so it was really exciting to go on the course for the first time this year, together with the rest of the Fibonacci Quartet. We’re based across London and Madrid and are now working professionally. So we spend a lot of time travelling, but fortunately we only had to get to Cornwall from London this time – it’s a long enough journey from there!

The participants are predominantly young professionals and late-period students, both solo and in ensembles, but what struck me was the diversity of people coming from around the world from a variety of backgrounds, which made it a really rich exchange.

Prussia Cove was a chance for us to escape from the hectic touring lifestyle and go deeper into the music, to step back and focus on what’s really important. It was great to have a lot of rehearsal time, but also to meet others who have such a commitment and a dedication to chamber music. And, of course, to learn from Kirill Gerstein, our professor there: he was just fantastic. We also had supplementary lessons with David Waterman, and learnt so much from watching masterclasses with the other students – you’re really part of this ecosystem of exchanging ideas.

As a quartet that spends virtually every day performing, rehearsing and travelling, we had a great opportunity to work in a really significant way. Come with an open mind and be ready for new ideas.

Subscribers to The Strad receive the 2025 String Courses supplement free with their copy of the January 2025 issue

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.