All Blogs articles – Page 2
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BlogsA Change of Season: spotlighting the climate emergency through music
Working with students from Trinity Laban, Nic Pendlebury examines how music is used to comment on climate change in a project juxtaposing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Hollie Harding’s Melting, Shifting, Liquid World
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10 tips for achieving long-term success with your quartet
The Henschel Quartet from Germany celebrated its 25th year in 2016. Here the group gives tips on achieving longevity in a chamber career
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Tatty Theo and the Brook Street Band: how we stayed on track during the pandemic
Cellist Tatty Theo illustrates how the Brook Street Band managed to overcome the challenges of functioning in different countries during the pandemic, thanks to modern technology and a well-timed grant from the Continuo Foundation
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In Our Shoes: What does it mean to be a woman in music in 2022?
Ruth Hallows examines the ways in which women in music are breaking societal expectations in a continued move towards equality
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Music for Life: enhancing music education in the Dominican Republic
Violinist Aisha Syed Castro illustrates how blessings in her musical education inspired her to create the Music for Life Foundation, helping her give back to the community in her home country of the Dominican Republic
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‘Classical music is full of women, but policy and decision-making positions are still male dominated’: working mothers in music
On International Women’s Day, violinist Gwendolyn Masin examines the struggles faced by working mothers, calling for collective empathy and support within the industry and beyond
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‘The interweaving of violoncello and orchestra are indeed wholly ravishing!’: Schumann’s Cello Concerto
Conductor Peter Manning presents the history and analysis of Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto, composed in only two weeks and never performed publicly in the composer’s lifetime
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‘It doesn’t have to be popular. It just has to be’: Gwendolyn Masin on honesty and art
Classical music doesn’t need to succumb to levels of mediocrity in order to be ‘popular’ or ‘relevant’. Instead, audiences should be open-minded enough to enjoy the simplicity of great music’s existence, argues violinist Gwendolyn Masin
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‘Hello you beautiful thing’: Hogarthian analysis in string playing
Violinist Hector Scott illustrates how employing Hogarthian principles of grace and beauty can help musicians explore physical and musical gestures from different perspectives
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How I write for strings: Composer Dani Howard
Composer Dani Howard shares how her roots as a cellist inform her latest compositions for strings
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Fake it ’til you make it: The art of orchestral faking
Cellist and online editor Davina Shum has spent countless hours in orchestra choosing what to play and what to pretend to play. Here she illustrates the necessary skill that can only be described as molto fake-issimo
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Blogs
Chamber Music for All: Highlighting the Voices of Beginner Musicians
Violist and pedagogue Dr. Katy I.C. Ho Weatherly illustrates the benefits of chamber music sessions on beginner students, with tips on how to implement chamber music training in your teaching
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’There is little to no room for error’: Sightreading in a recording session orchestra
Associate concertmaster of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and session orchestra violinist Alexandra Gorski explains the high level of sightreading required from session musicians, as well as principles she employs to nail those one-take wonders
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‘Your salad will be so tasty!’: When musicians and food collide
Paring away at old transcripts from former Strad interviewees, Rita Fernandes presents string players’ food and cooking analogies that faced the chop and didn’t make the final dish
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Violinist Fedor Rudin on performing and directing post-Classical concertos from the violin
How does one conduct violin concertos by Prokofiev, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian - and play the solo part as well? French-Russian violinist Fedor Rudin shares his approach
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Should Scale Systems Come With A Health Warning?
Violinist Hector Scott examines how players can use scales to exercise curiosity and exploration of musical expressivity, as opposed to excessive, grinding, repetitive practice
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Pizzicato technique is often neglected, says violinist Jennifer Pike
There are many ways to vary sound and colour, but beware the perils of playing forte for sustained periods. From 2014
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9 tips on playing the Ravel and Debussy quartets
Franck Chevalier, viola player of the Quatuor Diotima, gives advice on how to approach the most celebrated French additions to the quartet repertoire
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The Psalms Project: Contemporary Sacred Music for solo violin
Composer Ng Yu Hng welcomes new audiences to encounter liturgical works channeled through the untraditional voice of a solo violin
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Finding solace in Solo Bach during the pandemic: Greg Ewer
The violinist illustrates how he, fellow string players and other instrumentalists found comfort in Bach’s solo string works during the uncertain climate of Covid-19 lockdowns
