- News
- For Subscribers
- Student Hub
- Playing Hub
- Directory
- Lutherie
- Magazine
- Magazine archive
- Whether you're a player, maker, teacher or enthusiast, you'll find ideas and inspiration from leading artists, teachers and luthiers in our archive which features every issue published since January 2010 - available exclusively to subscribers. View the archive.
- Jobs
- Shop
- Podcast
- Contact us
- Subscribe
- School Subscription
- Competitions
- Reviews
- Debate
- Artists
- Accessories
Obituary: violinist and pedagogue Henryk P. Kowalski (1947–2026)
Australian Festival of Chamber Music: a new chapter in Cairns
16-year-old violinist wins 2026 Cooper International Competition
Video premiere: Bella Hristova performs David Serkin Ludwig’s Violin Concerto no.2 ‘Paganiniana’
September 2026: Editor’s welcome and contents
Double bassist killed and cellist harmed in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Perugia
Double bassist Davide La Rosa and cellist Tao Wei Huang were due to perform with the Orchestra delle Cento Città as part of Music Fest Perugia
US violinist Gabrielle Wunsch dies aged 51
The musician spent many years performing with period and Baroque orchestras in the Netherlands, before making her home in California’s Bay Area
Artists as athletes: why musicians should look after their bodies like sportspeople
Violinist Laura Frautschi shares her experiences and approaches to maintaining a high level of physical and mental endurance as a musician, drawing parallels between the demands of professional musicians and elite athletes
Playing Hub
Postcard from Brussels: Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition
A week of high-stakes performances and exacting repertoire marked this year’s Queen Elisabeth Competition cello final, as Davina Shum discovered
‘Let it happen’: Kató Havas’s teaching philosophies
Kató Havas’s teaching remains widely admired but is still often misunderstood. Clifford Hall revisits the debates around her methods to reveal a more nuanced picture of her legacy
Ma and the art of balancing the bow hand
Violinist Catherine Chautard on ma – the Japanese concept of negative space – and how it lies at the heart of bow hand equilibrium
Australian Festival of Chamber Music: a new chapter in Cairns
Gillian Wills reports back from the 2026 edition, which spotlighted a plethora of international and local talent in the festival’s new home of Cairns-Gimuy
Video premiere: Bella Hristova performs David Serkin Ludwig’s Violin Concerto no.2 ‘Paganiniana’
Take an exclusive first look at this video performance of the work, which pays tribute to Niccolò Paganini’s embodiment and legacy of violin virtuosity
David Garrett’s ‘Del Gesù Club’ gives its first ever public concert
This year’s meeting of the exclusive club, open to owners and players of Guarneri ’del Gesù’ instruments, took place on 26 July as part of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. Eric Wen reports back
Premium ❘ Feature
Juilliard Quartet at 80: lines of inquiry
As the Juilliard Quartet celebrates its 80th anniversary, its members speak to Thomas May about teaching, rehearsal‑room disagreement, new commissions and the essential questions that keep the ensemble’s tradition alive
Premium ❘ Feature
‘Let it happen’: Kató Havas’s teaching philosophies
Kató Havas’s teaching remains widely admired but is still often misunderstood. Clifford Hall revisits the debates around her methods to reveal a more nuanced picture of her legacy
Premium ❘ Feature
Juilliard Quartet at 80: lines of inquiry
As the Juilliard Quartet celebrates its 80th anniversary, its members speak to Thomas May about teaching, rehearsal‑room disagreement, new commissions and the essential questions that keep the ensemble’s tradition alive
Premium ❘ Focus
Opinion: Theatre improv games in teacher training
Actors’ improvisation games should also be used for training string teachers to help strengthen their in-the-moment communication skills, says violinist and teacher Carmen Lasceski-Custers
Premium ❘ Focus
Postcard from California: Ojai Music Festival
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s California homecoming created a dialogue between European modernism and American experiment, as Thomas May discovered
Competitions
16-year-old violinist wins 2026 Cooper International Competition
Chinese violinist Mingzhe Ye won first prize of $20,000, plus loan of a fine violin and future performance opportunities
Cello winner announced for the 2026 World’s Biggest Stage Competition
Greek cellist Maria Elli Petridou wins $5,000 and further performance engagements
Finalists announced for 2026 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
Five string players proceed to the final round, which will take place in New York in October
Premium ❘ News
Competitions, Awards and Appointments: September 2026
The latest competition results, appointments and forthcoming contests
Premium ❘ News
Premiere of the month: Eric Nathan’s new violin concerto
A violin concerto that reaches new heights
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
Masterclass: Chausson Poème for Violin and Orchestra op.25
Understanding the harmonic framework is key to making sense of Chausson’s fluid, freely structured Poème, says violinist Maria Włoszczowska
The Strad Podcast: How to tailor the Suzuki Method to different students with violinist Meghan Faw
The violinist shares her personal experiences with the method as both a student and a teacher
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to practise effectively with violinist Ray Chen
The first in our new four-part education themed podcast series features our September 2024 cover star
The Strad Podcast: How to tailor the Suzuki Method to different students with violinist Meghan Faw
The violinist shares her personal experiences with the method as both a student and a teacher
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
Competitions
16-year-old violinist wins 2026 Cooper International Competition
Chinese violinist Mingzhe Ye won first prize of $20,000, plus loan of a fine violin and future performance opportunities
Cello winner announced for the 2026 World’s Biggest Stage Competition
Greek cellist Maria Elli Petridou wins $5,000 and further performance engagements
Finalists announced for 2026 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
Five string players proceed to the final round, which will take place in New York in October
Tuned to Perfection: the life and legacy of violinist Alberto Lysy
A new documentary shines a light on the legendary violinist, presented by Ettore Causa
Tuned to Perfection: the life and legacy of violinist Alberto Lysy
Video premiere: Bella Hristova performs David Serkin Ludwig’s Violin Concerto no.2 ‘Paganiniana’
‘Dance, when you’re perfectly free’: NYO performs Anna Clyne’s DANCE
‘Literally the hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn to do’: Pedro Pascal to play cellist in upcoming film
Combining virtuosity with opera: violinist Hannah Cho honours Vienna with Carmen Fantasie Brillante
Yo‑Yo Ma joins Kakuma refugee collective Exile Key for ‘Yelele Mama’
Teaser trailer drops for Singaporean animated film ‘The Violinist’
From prison to performance: new film spotlights violinist Christian Howes’s artistic transformation
A violinist and three cellists walk into a studio: Emerald Strings rethinks ‘Bolero’
After hours at Guildhall Art Gallery: Vilde Frang and Lawrence Power perform ‘Capricci’
- Previous
- Next
Trade Secrets: Set-up guidelines for the five-string violin
Jennifer Halenar shares some tips that take into account the differences in bridges, strings, dimensions and fingerboards
My Space: Erli Gurra’s Tirana workshop
Take a look at the maker’s Albanian shop
Matthew Hardie: ‘The Scottish Stradivari’
Matthew Hardie, who died 200 years ago this year, was possibly Scotland’s most influential violin maker. To mark the anniversary, David Rattray tells the story of his life and examines a selection of his violas
Making Matters: Comparing volume of air within the violin soundbox
John Waddle and Steve Sirr use CT scanning to examine how the amount of air inside a violin soundbox varies between the works of several early Cremonese makers
In Focus: A 1776 mute violin by Nicolò Gagliano
Nazrin Rashidova and Peter Beare take a look at the unique instrument
Obituary: British luthier Colin Irving (1945–2025)
The instrument maker, who began as an engineer in the 1950s, became best known for his cellos
Trade Secrets: Set-up guidelines for the five-string violin
Jennifer Halenar shares some tips that take into account the differences in bridges, strings, dimensions and fingerboards
My Space: Erli Gurra’s Tirana workshop
Take a look at the maker’s Albanian shop
Matthew Hardie: ‘The Scottish Stradivari’
Matthew Hardie, who died 200 years ago this year, was possibly Scotland’s most influential violin maker. To mark the anniversary, David Rattray tells the story of his life and examines a selection of his violas
Making Matters: Comparing volume of air within the violin soundbox
John Waddle and Steve Sirr use CT scanning to examine how the amount of air inside a violin soundbox varies between the works of several early Cremonese makers
In Focus: A 1776 mute violin by Nicolò Gagliano
Nazrin Rashidova and Peter Beare take a look at the unique instrument
Obituary: British luthier Colin Irving (1945–2025)
The instrument maker, who began as an engineer in the 1950s, became best known for his cellos
Concert review: Carter Brey (cello) New York Philharmonic/Elim Chan
Leah Hollingsworth visits New York’s David Geffen Hall on 27 May 2026 for the performance of Noriko Koide, Saint-Saëns and Prokofiev
Concert review: Pieter Wispelwey (cello) Orchestra Of St Luke’s/Nicholas Ellis
Leah Hollingsworth braves the warm weather of 10 June 2026 to hear the performance of Bach and Haydn at Zankel Hall, in New York’s Carnegie Hall
Concert review: Laura van der Heijden (cello) London Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Zeffman
Hattie Butterworth hears the performance of Barber, Ravel and Henriëtte Bosmans at London’s Barbican Hall on 14 June 2026
Quiroga Quartet: Arriaga
Gutsy performances of a short-lived genius
Arnold Rosé: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms etc
An assured celebration of a great historical violinist
Christoph Croisé: Folklore
A traversal of folk idioms offers much pleasure
Book review: Notes to a Violinist
Celia Cobb reads the teachings of American violinist and pedagogue Jan Mark Sloman, who died in 2022
Book review: Violin Making the Newark Way
Benjamin Hebbert reads the notes taken by Clare Hutter (née Nicolls) when she was a student at the Newark School of Violin Making in the 1980s
Book review: Beauty at the Edge of Catastrophe: Cultivating mindful presence in musical performance
Anne Inglis reviews Ruth Phillips’s book on the usefulness and application of mindfulness to musicians
Debate
Opinion: Period instruments aren’t just specialist tools
Benjamin Shute questions our assumptions about contemporary instrument set‑up and the idea that period instruments are merely specialist equipment
Opinion: Finding creativity in scales
Love them or hate them, scales are at the heart of string training. Violinist and teacher Mark Knight examines why, when approached correctly, they are the gateway to a world of expressive freedom
Accessories
Products July 2026: Modacity practice app
A new app that acts as a practice companion for musicians
Products July 2026: Fiedler Sonowood double bass endpin
The endpin mirrors the properties of ebony
Products July 2026: BAM Bonbon case for ¾- and half-sized violins
The company has released a smaller version of its colourful range
Concert review: Carter Brey (cello) New York Philharmonic/Elim Chan
Leah Hollingsworth visits New York’s David Geffen Hall on 27 May 2026 for the performance of Noriko Koide, Saint-Saëns and Prokofiev
Concert review: Pieter Wispelwey (cello) Orchestra Of St Luke’s/Nicholas Ellis
Leah Hollingsworth braves the warm weather of 10 June 2026 to hear the performance of Bach and Haydn at Zankel Hall, in New York’s Carnegie Hall
Concert review: Laura van der Heijden (cello) London Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Zeffman
Hattie Butterworth hears the performance of Barber, Ravel and Henriëtte Bosmans at London’s Barbican Hall on 14 June 2026
Book review: Notes to a Violinist
Celia Cobb reads the teachings of American violinist and pedagogue Jan Mark Sloman, who died in 2022
Book review: Violin Making the Newark Way
Benjamin Hebbert reads the notes taken by Clare Hutter (née Nicolls) when she was a student at the Newark School of Violin Making in the 1980s
Book review: Beauty at the Edge of Catastrophe: Cultivating mindful presence in musical performance
Anne Inglis reviews Ruth Phillips’s book on the usefulness and application of mindfulness to musicians
Quiroga Quartet: Arriaga
Gutsy performances of a short-lived genius
Arnold Rosé: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms etc
An assured celebration of a great historical violinist
Christoph Croisé: Folklore
A traversal of folk idioms offers much pleasure
Artists
Juilliard Quartet at 80: lines of inquiry
As the Juilliard Quartet celebrates its 80th anniversary, its members speak to Thomas May about teaching, rehearsal‑room disagreement, new commissions and the essential questions that keep the ensemble’s tradition alive
Brett Dean: the music from within
Australian composer and violist Brett Dean has long drawn on his experience from playing inside the orchestra to shape his own music. He tells Jessica Duchen about how his writing and playing continue to inform each other
Jordi Savall: connections beyond words
The Catalan gambist and conductor Jordi Savall speaks with Michael White about his six decades of music making, the ideals that have guided his work and the future of the early music world he helped to shape
Education Resources
-
-
The Strad Directory is the essential resource for the string music world, with over 2,300 listings providing information on string businesses across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Whether you are a string player searching for a new instrument or a business owner looking to reach your target audience, the Strad Directory remains the most comprehensive and user-friendly resource for the string music world.
Available from The Strad Shop
-
Whether you're a player, maker, teacher or an enthusiast, the Strad Shop is the number one source for books, CDs and back issues of the magazine. Products for sale include an exclusive range of instrument making posters, calendars and information products published by and directly for sale from The Strad.
- THE STRAD SHOP
Keep informed
