The deadline to apply for the 2017 Tarisio Trust Young Artists Grants is May 10. This year’s grant winners will be judged by Grammy-winning violist Kim Kashkashian, Martin Engstroem, founder of the Verbier Festival, and Quatuor Ebene. The 2016 winners…
Folk duo Tall Heights stopped by the Strings studio to perform music from its latest album Neptune. Watch singer/guitarist Tim Harrington and singer/cellist Paul Wright perform “Iron in the Fire,” “Horse to Water,” and “Heirloom” in our latest Strings Sessions.
One of the most common problems encountered by string players in virtuoso pieces is the coordination between the bow strokes and the left-hand fingers in fast running-note passages
By Patrick Sullivan If you ask Ralph Ashmead what he’s learned in 33 years of making historic bows, he’s liable to laugh and give you a self-effacing reply. “I’ve learned they can always break,” he says. “Just had one snap…
Advertisement
Unravelling the mystery behind this simple, but essential, bow part—and what to do when issues arise By Heather K. Scott Abow’s tip plate performs a variety of important functions. In addition to protecting the head of the bow, it also…
Violinist Mads Tolling stopped by the Strings studio to perform three tunes off of his latest album, and is joined by keyboardist-accordionist Colin Hogan and bassist Joshua Thurston-Milgrom to form Mads Tollings & the Mads Men. The group’s latest album, Playing the ’60s,…
By Liz Carroll Last count, Chicago has a population of 2.7 million, and the greater Chicago area has a population of nearly 10 million people. Statistics from the Chicago Tribune estimate that the Irish (from Ireland and descended from) are…
By Cristina Schreil Ron Carter is telling me to put on slippers. I’ve stepped into the legendary bassist’s home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “No, put your boots there,” he instructs. “No, there.” I’m suddenly frozen onstage, overwhelmed by Carter’s…
Advertisement
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED A new kind of electric violin taking its design inspiration from the organic beauty of wood, the simplicity of clean lines, and the comfort of light weight, combined with innovative Yamaha sound to create this gorgeous…
By Patrick Sullivan The musicians gathered around. The instrument case opened. Then all hell broke loose. “Some of them screamed,” recalls luthier David Rivinus. “A couple ran off the stage. A few uttered expletives. And some people were just stunned…
In honor of Cello Month, the Boston Cello Society and Carriage House Violins, will host a Facebook livestream lecture with violinmaker James McKean. The lecture takes place on April 12 at 4pm EST. Tune in to for a discussion on the…
By Matt Wehling When the Violin Society of America (VSA) called and asked if I would be a bow workmanship judge for its 2014 competition, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the experience. While I had entered the competition…
Advertisement
The Los Angeles–based Metzler Violin Shop will host a three-day exhibition of contemporary instruments and bows April 7–9. More than 70 luthiers from across the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico will showcase their work. The exhibition runs from 10am–6pm throughout…
Before performing a four-day run with the San Francisco Symphony in early March, a program that included a first for the SFS, Hindemith’s Violin Concerto, violinist Arabella Steinbacher took time out of her touring schedule to film a Strings Session. Watch the…
What do you do after spending 30 years in a Grammy-winning quartet? If you’re cellist Mark Summer, a founding (and former) member of the Turtle Island String Quartet, you create a new way to pass on what you’ve learned. From…
By Benjamin Whitcomb The cello repertoire contains numerous one-movement pieces for cello and piano or cello and orchestra, many of which are wonderful works if not masterpieces. Several of these compositions are so famous and popular that learning them is…
Advertisement
During her North American tour with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, violinist Nicola Benedetti took time out of her schedule to film a Strings Session backstage at UC Berkeley and Cal Performances‘ Zellerbach Hall. Watch the violinist perform two Vivaldi pieces:…
By Rachel Barton Pine When I was 21, my now-husband took me out on one of our first dates. Knowing that I am a professional musician, he decided to do something special. He arranged for incredible seats at the Lyric…
By Cristina Schreil Dozens of people sat in a room in New York City. This room was among the more breathtaking I’d seen—a rich scene defined by oil paintings, warm wood paneling, ornate window treatments, and crown molding—but everyone sat…
Advertisement