By Laurence Vittes There was a moment during Banff International String Quartet Competition‘s world premiere screening of the documentary, Joel Krosnick: What To Play Next?, that especially piqued my interest. Krosnick, a former BISQC juror and now BISQC’s mentor in…
By Augustin Hadelich This will be the first of four blog entries about a typical month in my life as a traveling violinist. Over these four weeks I’ll play performances in Boston, New York, Eindhoven, London, and Cleveland! Last week,…
By Sasha Margolis Few music-lovers today have heard of violinist Israel Baker. But nearly everyone has heard Baker’s glorious playing—whether they know it or not. Born a hundred years ago this year, Baker was one of Jascha Heifetz’s most trusted…
By Stephanie Powell Ashley Bathgate, cellist and former member of contemporary music ensemble Bang on a Can, like many other musicians finds a world of inspiration from Bach and his Cello Suites. Her latest solo album, ASH, out today, is…
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By Laurence Vittes It took the jury three hours to decide what the audience at the finals of the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition already knew, that it was too close to call between the Marmen and Viano quartets.…
By Stephanie Powell Pirastro has released D-Bass Perpetual, a new set of strings for the double bass, designed with pizzicato in mind. The set was not created for a specific style of music, but the strings’ quick bow response makes…
By Scott Flavin Some years ago, violinist Gil Shaham came to town to work with the New World Symphony (NWS), performing and giving classes. I had a student playing for him, so I went to his master class (which was…
Sponsored by the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition: Applications are open for the prestigious Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition which offers a first prize of $100,000 and a jury of world-renowned violinists and esteemed pedagogues. Travel to Shanghai…
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From our friends at Jargar Strings: Back to school is just around the corner and your instrument needs be ready for a new season. Young Talent cello strings are the perfect choice for fractional size instruments going from ¾ to…
By Cristina Schreil Bonanza Jellyfish—also known as Sydney Shepherd—is a New York City-based cellist, vocalist and actor, and member of the acoustic indie pop band Bandits on the Run. The trio, also comprising guitarist Adrian Enscoe and percussionist, xolophonist and resident…
By Mary Nemet Joseph Joachim: Fantasies on Irish and Hungarian Themes for Violin & Orchestra (Piano reduction) Bärenreiter, €26.95 The creations of a famous soloist and leader of his quartet, Joseph Joachim’s compositions took second place to his extensive concertizing.…
By Megan Westberg The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced Monday that CEO Simon Woods has resigned, effective immediately, with no explanation as to the reason for his sudden (and, to many observers, surprising) departure. Woods, who began his tenure with the…
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By David Templeton For certain San Francisco string musicians, it’s time to order some brand-new earplugs and practice throwing one-handed “devil-horn signs,” because one of the weirdest and wildest cultural events of the late 20th century is about to happen…
By Cristina Schreil When you think of Bach’s beloved cello suites you usually think of, well, the cello. Violinist Johnny Gandelsman had another idea. The violinist, known for his in-depth project of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas and playing with string…
By Megan Westberg When Michael Tilson Thomas joked that he would not be running for president at the San Francisco Symphony’s opening gala on Wednesday, September 4, the audience laughed—but sounded just a touch disappointed. There was a great deal…
By Miranda Wilson Practice. Ever since our teachers taught us to sing “Doctor! Suzuki! Says never! Be lazy! But practice! And practice! Until you! Go crazy!” to the tune of Twinkle Variation B, we’ve known that it’s compulsory for anyone…
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From our friends at Pirastro: Pirastro Strings generated a lot of excitement at this year’s International Society of Bassists convention by releasing their new Perpetual bass strings at the show. Mainly developed for pizzicato, the Perpetual bass set was designed…
By Cristina Schreil German viola da gamba player Hille Perl grew up in a family of musicians. When she was five, while at a concert (a regular outing for the family) in the Bremen Rathaus, she heard Belgian Baroque cello…
This fall, a new flood of string players will rush into the halls of music departments and conservatories the world over. Many of these new students will be driven by visions of a performance career, their momentum fueled by the…
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