San Francisco Symphony

San Francisco Symphony Kicks Off Holiday Series

The San Francisco Symphony programmed a holiday-concert series that packs both season’s greetings and rings in the New Year just right. With guests like actress/vocalist Jane Krakowski, of 30 Rock fame, to megawatt-soul-singer-songwriter Gladys Knight, this year’s holiday lineup is not to be missed. Review the…

ANNOUNCING THE NSO SUMMER MUSIC INSTITUTE 2017

Sponsored by the Kennedy Center The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Summer Music Institute is a four-week summer music program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for serious student instrumentalists, ages 15-20. June 26 – July 24, 2017 Deadline: Jan.…


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Nominees for 59th Grammy Awards Released

The 2017 Grammy nominees have been announced, and there are, of course, a number of string players in the mix. Here are some highlights: Best Orchestral Performance Bates: Works for Orchestra. San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. (SFS Media)…

Strings Sessions Presents: Sara Watkins

Multi-instrumentalist Sara Watkins stopped by the Strings studio to showcase her fiddling for a recent Strings Session. Watch Watkins perform John Harford’s “A Long Hot Summer Day,” and her own tune “The Foothills.”

Audition In A City Near You!

Sponsored by Interlochen Center for the Arts Interested in attending Interlochen Center for the Arts? Here is a great opportunity to audition in a city near you! In January 2017, Interlochen Arts Camp and Arts Academy will be holding dance,…


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Composer Andrew Norman

Andrew Norman Wins 2017 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition

Composer Andrew Norman is the winner of the 2017 Grawemeyer Award, a weighty prize of $100,000, for music composition. The Los Angeles–based composer was recognized for his 47-minute, three-part orchestral work “Play,” inspired by “how technology has rewired our brains…


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Violin-Viola Duo Chargaux on Their String-Forward Second Album

By Cristina Schreil “Do some futuristic stuff. Do something we haven’t seen before.” I’ve asked the Brooklyn-based violin-viola duo Chargaux what advice they offer younger players. This guidance from Jasmin “Charly” Charles, the violinist of the pair, seems a tall…

2016 Violin Society of America Results Are In

For all the talk about the world of classical music collapsing under the weight of fickle modernity, there was little evidence of it at the Violin Society of America conference and competition in Cleveland, Ohio. In a contest where no…


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Sphinx Organization Honored at White House

The Sphinx Organization was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama on Nov. 15. The Detroit-based organization, which strives to “transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts,” was awarded the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award at…

Caeli Smith

Artist Blog: Caeli Smith on Recording Your Playing

By Caeli Smith Here’s an unpleasant scenario that every musician is familiar with: You sit down to listen to a recording of a recent concert, expecting the tape to recreate your performance as you remember it. But while listening, you…

Violist Cecil Aronowitz teaching at the Britten Pears School

Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition Announces Dates

The Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition has announced that the second iteration will take place at the Birmingham Conservatoire from November 18–24, 2017. The competition, named after famed South African violist Cecil Aronowitz, is held in conjunction with the British…


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