By Brian Wise In the late 1980s, when MTV and VH1 still played music videos around the clock, a 20-year-old Joshua Bell starred in a black-and-white video featuring Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1. Called The Audition, it featured the actress…
When there is no exact instruction for a tempo, how can you find one that is both respectful of the score and practicable for performance considerations?
At a towering 6’5″, cellist Amit Peled is an inspiring presence. But it isn’t just his height that creates an aura about him; it is his skill and creativity as a cellist and his likeable and passionate character that make…
By Bryan Emmon Hall String teachers know the value of scale practice in longitudinal development, but often struggle to instill this value in our students. We all desire to ingrain the habit of consistent scale practice beyond lesson time, but…
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By Anna Pulley Michael Tilson Thomas (affectionately known as M.T.T.) announced recently that the 2019–20 season of the San Francisco Symphony will be his last as musical director. Tilson Thomas debuted with SFS in 1974 when he was just 29,…
Special Advertising Section from Strings Magazine Shopping for a string-playing loved one? Looking for yourself before the holidays hit? Either way, our Holiday Gift Guide is a great resource for scouting out all the best goodies. From music to play to…
By Cristina Schreil It began with purple Katja Goetz, who took over BAM in 2011 with her husband Robert, explains that founders Laurence and Philippe de Trogoff had already forged the instrument case company from an innovative place. In building…
Paris-based period-instrument ensemble Les Arts Florissants intoxicates a Wine Country audience By Greg Cahill Les Arts Florissants November 10, 2017 Green Music Center, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California Close your eyes and you…
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By Laura Cortese Are there some other genres or styles of music that you would like to try that you haven’t explored thus far? In short: No. And yet, answering with only that ensures misunderstanding. At the present moment I…
One of the factors that makes composer John Adams stand out in a category all his own is, along with his versatility, the level of quality at which he sustains it.
By James N. McKean About ten miles north of Milan, Italy, is a small town named Monza. A rather nondescript place, it boasts a post office and a few stores and not much more. At least that’s how I remember…
Violinist Tessa Lark stopped by the Strings studio to perform two pieces. Watch the Avery Fisher Grant recipient perform Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 5, G major, L’Aurore and her own composition, Appalachian Fantasy.
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Violinist Hilary Hahn committed to posting her practice on Instagram for 100 days in a row to see what it would reveal about her artistic practice.
By Anna Pulley “The music shall sound in such a fashion that people shall hear what they cannot see,” Richard Wagner wrote to Franz Liszt, describing Das Rheingold, the prologue of his epic masterwork Der Ring des Nibelungen (“The Ring of the Nibelung”). On November 1, 1853,…
By Inge Kjemtrup It was a match made in heaven. Or rather, it was a match made at the Tanglewood Festival that began when violinist Leonidas Kavakos, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Emanuel Ax first got together to rehearse a…
“Preparing for my next recital in Washington, D.C., at the Phillips Collection. This score has gone through many changes over the years, including using Labanotation to archive some of my movements. One version I no longer use, but this one…
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Cellist Mike Block, a genre-bending artist also known for his work with the Silk Road Ensemble, stopped by the Strings studio to perform two original compositions: “It’s Time to Dance” and “Sea of Love.” Watch the multi-hyphenate cellist sing and…
“I truly believe that every child is born a genius, filled with endless possibility.” —Marin Alsop, OrchKids Founding Director & BSO Music Director The D’Addario Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the strings and accessories company, recently honored its latest batch…
One of today’s most influential classical musicians, cellist David Finckel, is a busy man. His successful and long-standing career as performer, recording artist, teacher, and arts advocate has included a wealth of solo performances, duo recitals with his wife, pianist…
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