With more than 60 ensembles reaching the quarterfinals from more than 20 countries, the 46th annual Fischoff Chamber Music Competition has come to a close, and announced its winners: the New England Conservatory–based Merz Trio, made up of violinist Brigid Coleridge,…
By Cristina Schreil The work is titled “Ghost Trio.” Yet in describing it, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter bounds with her characteristic liveliness. She says it’s a “masterpiece as poetic as it is intellectually challenging, and a great joy to play.” Mutter paints…
What’s your favorite part of the process of making an instrument—what day to you most look forward to? One of the most exciting days in the process of making an instrument is Day 1. That is the day (or sometimes…
By Miranda Wilson A cello concerto specifically designed by the composer for a virtuoso operating at the very limits of what is physically (and sometimes mentally) possible requires a performer with a strong head for heights. But in Yo-Yo Ma’s…
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George Enescu’s masterful work, Impressions d’Enfance, had been on my “bucket list” for some time. Its rare appearance in concert programs is understandable, given its technical difficulty and challenges for ensemble. A work like this would require a musical partner…
By Laurence Vittes Twenty-two-year-old American violin virtuoso Hao Zhou wins the first prize at the 2019 Concours Musical International de Montréal—a student of Martin Beaver at the Colburn School, Zhou was one of four American finalists. While Mercedes, Ferraris, and…
The JACK Quartet stopped by the Strings studio to perform three early-music pieces arranged by JACK violinist Chris Otto: Thomas Morley’s Christie’s Cross; Solage’s Fumeux fume par fumee; and Rodericus’ Angelorum Psalat.
By Cristina Schreil When violinist, violist, and singer Jasmin Charles was eight, she received a gift from her mother. It was a children’s book about jazz—and, it came with a letter. “Jazz is the music of our people. Jazz is America’s…
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By Cristina Schreil Many great ideas come out of nowhere. For violinist Josh Knowles, they formed while cooking breakfast. “I had the idea for this video pop into my head,” says Knowles of his latest project. “I had this…
By Stephanie Powell Yamaha has crafted a student instrument with durability and the environment in mind—its latest YVN Model 3 is built with computer assistance to produce less waste material during the manufacturing process. Strings had a reviewer, who also…
By Cristina Schreil In their 20th anniversary season, the Los Angeles-based string collective VSQ—the Vitamin String Quartet—is doing something big. Known for their classical arrangements of popular-music songs, VSQ delved deep into one artist who’s also known for pushing the…
Compiled by Megan Westberg Éric Gagné Montréal, Canada Award-winning bow maker Éric Gagné began his career working for Blaise Emmelin in France before moving to Brussels to work for Pierre Guillaume at “Maison Bernard.” Gagné then shared a workshop with…
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By Megan Westberg It’s a credit to Charlie Chaplin’s composing chops that his theme to Modern Times, “Smile,” has held up so resolutely since it first graced the silver screen in 1936. Though many arrangements have made heavy use of…
By Miranda Wilson Anyone expecting Édouard Lalo’s cello sonata (1856) to sound anything like his cello concerto is in for a surprise. While the concerto, like Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, comes from Lalo’s “Spanish” period of the…
By Cristina Schreil Violinist Emma Meinrenken’s many accolades include winning first place at the Stradivarius International Violin Competition. It’s fitting, then, that she now plays a violin by Stradivari. On loan from the Canada Council of the Arts, the instrument…
By Brian Wise The January 2014 theft of the “Lipinski” Stradivari from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond was unusual not just for its violent dimensions, but for the attention it brought to the world of high-end string instruments. It…
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Washington Performing Arts has released a star-studded, jam-packed 2019/20 season, complete with 45 main stage events all taking place in six venues across the greater Washington, D.C. area. The season includes performances by some of our favorite string stars: Kronos…
By Cristina Schreil The Infamous Stringdusters have a lot to feel positive about. Fresh off the heels of their recent Grammy win for Best Bluegrass Album, the band is at a sweet spot. And, it seems they’re looking to spread…
By Greg Cahill Winning a medal—gold, silver, or bronze—or a certificate of merit at the prestigious Violin Society of America’s International Instrument and Bow Making Competition can translate into financial reward for luthiers and archetiers. But entrants in the violin,…
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