By Stephanie Powell Handcrafted in Mark Wood’s custom shop in the United States, Wood Violins’ latest electric offering is modeled after arch-top jazz guitars from the early 1900s. Early-20th-century jazz guitars were designed to look like violins, thus with the…
By Laurence Vittes Cellist Ophélie Gaillard‘s new recording (Aparté) with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra of Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote is not only outstandingly fresh and bold, but illuminating. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed…
By Sasha Margolis In December 1935, a brand-new adventure film hit US theaters: Captain Blood. A swashbuckler starring Errol Flynn, it tells the tale of Peter Blood, who flees Europe to escape the death sentence imposed by an unjust government. Reaching…
J.S. Bach Suiten für Violoncello Thomas Demenga, cello (ECM New Series) Between 1986 and 2002, Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga embarked on a then-rare presentation of Bach’s Cello Suites, juxtaposing the beloved cello works against contemporary compositions. He’s just released a…
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We’d like to say thanks to all those musicians who recommended Strings as an essential resource for string players to Tutorful—the UK-based online education service that provides resource guides on a variety of subjects (including violin playing), and connects students with…
By Laurence Vittes Since Jennifer Koh met Kaija Saariaho ten years ago the American violinist and the Finnish composer have collaborated musically and become close friends. Although Koh has a packed schedule this year including Beethoven’s Op. 30 violin sonatas…
By Christopher Jacoby A violin consists of three basic parts: the neck and scroll, the plates—the top and the back, and the ribs. But at its core, an instrument relies upon its ribs, the bent sides of the instrument. They…
A quiet and soundproof rehearsal space is a godsend for a musician and their housemates alike. Here's how to soundproof a room for practicing music.
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By Laurence Vittes Violist Paul Neubauer became the youngest principal string player in the New York Philharmonic‘s history at the age of 21. He has been a fixture with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1989, and a…
Cellist Mike Block stopped by the Strings studio last fall to perform music with the Hanneke Cassel Band. But before he left, the multi-styles cellist had one last request: to film Bach in the Bathroom. Watch Block perform in Strings…
By Louise Lee Craftsman Jeff Meyer remembers the order well: The customer, a harpist, wanted a wood music stand designed and finished to match her harp. The request sent the owner of Cedarmont Woodworking scurrying, studying photos of the harp…
We often think of music as something we hear. This isn’t surprising. Our hearing is the main sense involved in the endeavor. But it’s not the only sense. We pay less attention to the way music—and sounds, in general—are felt. But sound has a profound…
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It’s usually a composer’s worst nightmare—that their music will lull audiences to sleep. But not Max Richter. The British composer created an entire eight-hour album around the idea of sending listeners to blissful unconsciousness, aptly titled Sleep. Richter described the album…
By Laurence Vittes On April 21, cellist Inbal Segev and Metropolis Ensemble will give the world premiere performance of Timo Andres’ new cello concerto, Upstate Obscura, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The inspiration for the piece was Hudson Valley…
By Anna Pulley When it comes to classical music, summer programs and workshops abound for musicians seeking to perform, compose, and play music by those who lived hundreds of years ago. It’s rarer to find instruction, performance, and playing opportunities…
By Thomas May | From the April 2018 issue of Strings magazine No matter how gloomy you may be feeling about the state of the world, it seems impossible to come away from an encounter with Augusta Read Thomas without…
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Schubert’s ‘Arpeggione’ Sonata was written for an instrument that is virtually extinct. So why does it endure and why do modern players love to play it?
By James N. McKean Ron Forrester came to bow making later than most. He was in his early thirties, an amateur cellist, when he brought a broken bow into the shop of Yung Chin in New York. That visit changed…
By Bob Doerschuk They were laid out on white cloth, violins in an anteroom near the Schermerhorn Symphony Center stage. In front of each, a white card bore the name of the person who would play it that night and…
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