Violist Melia Watras and her husband/violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim stopped by the Strings studio to perform three works. To start, Watras performs an original composition titled “Lament,” which she wrote for the memorial service of her father. Next up, Lim performs…
By Louise Lee Let’s say you’re finishing up your college degree and are ready to launch your professional career, taking some local auditions and entering a few competitions. You might be looking to upgrade your violin to one in the…
By Patrick Sullivan Eric Meyer’s pegs and tailpieces have graced fine modern instruments and million-dollar Strads like the “General Kyd” violin and “Archinto” viola. Yet they have a humble origin: Every one of the Oregon artisan’s fittings is handmade in…
By Cristina Schreil What kind of violin projects sound better—a famed Stradivari, or a new instrument by a modern maker? A team of researchers addressed this question across two different blind-listening experiments in Paris and New York City. Their findings:…
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The Jacob Szekely Trio, comprised of cellist Jacob Szekely, drummer Christopher Allis, and keyboardist Michael Ragonese, stopped by the Strings studio to perform two original pieces by Szekely. Taking time right before a performance at Point Richmond Jazz, watch the…
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. 6 Lucky Winners Will Be Chosen MSRP $404.49, Street Price $191.35 (per gift pack) Create your own golden tone with the Evah Pirazzi Gold violin variety pack! Each winner receives the following: • 1 set of…
By Inge Kjemtrup Photos by Marco Borggreve Had it not been for her father, Vilde Frang might well be playing the double bass today. Her father and older sister both played the instrument, so as a child, Frang was sure…
By Stacy McMichael Chicago has many nicknames: Windy City, Third Coast, Second City, and City of Big Shoulders to name a few. The one that sums up the Chicago music scene best? The City that Works. Former mayor Richard M.…
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By Elizabeth Wilson 1. Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini, cond. Dvořák Cello Concerto, Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 (EMI, 1977) In 1950 Rostropovich won the Hans Wihan Competition in Prague playing the Dvořák Concerto. This…
By Karen Peterson Jazz violinist and educator Christian Howes grew up middle class in the Ohio heartland, a child prodigy schooled in the Suzuki method, by his teens the recipient of a full college scholarship that leaned heavily toward academics.…
By Cristina Schreil Manhattan Chamber Players Le Poisson Rouge, New York City February 7, 2017 When music has a personal backstory, a voyeuristic thrill often colors the listening experience. Admit it: You listen more eagerly when sensational tales—affairs, death, heartbreak—lurk…
As a recipient of the esteemed MacArthur Fellowship in 2011, cellist Alisa Weilerstein is a vibrant and impressive force. In high demand for her singular sound and intense performances, Weilerstein recently embarked on a nine-city US tour with her pianist…
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By David Templeton “Johann Sebastian Bach,” says multiple-Grammy-winning bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, “is central to each of our worldviews.” By “our,” Meyer is including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and mandolinist Chris Thile, with whom he’s recorded a number of CDs…
By Heather K. Scott Amati, del Gesù, F.X. Tourte, Stradivari. There are few other occupations wherein professionals wake up every day faced with inspiration—and competition—from colleagues who lived 300 years before. Welcome to the world of a contemporary violin or…
By Pat Moran Wendy MacIsaac was 12 years old when she found the fiddle. It was under her grandmother’s bed and had not been played for years. “My grandmother’s brother sold ice in Boston, and he took two fiddles as…
Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter took time out of her tour schedule to perform a Strings Session with concert pianist Lambert Orkis. The duo performed Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Op. 42 melodie and Arthur Benjamin’s “Jamaican Rumba” at the San Francisco…
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By Thomas May Jennifer Higdon is not only stunningly prolific but one of the most-performed American composers at work today. Her style offers an appealing balance of the accessible and the imaginative, and it attracts top-flight soloists, orchestras, and chamber…
By Stephanie Powell In his early teens, cellist Brinton Averil Smith read Gregor Piatigorsky’s autobiography Cellist. It’s a strategic read for a young, driven cellist, but unlike his peers, Averil Smith was transfixed by a specific chapter that would continue…
By Cristina Schreil Call it the ultimate birthday gift. Astute listeners might have noticed that Regina Carter is a big Ella Fitzgerald fan. The First Lady of Song’s classics are sprinkled throughout Carter’s repertoire. For example, she performed “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”…
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