All Davina-Shum articles
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Blogs
How I completed a 118-show run (without losing my mind)
The Strad’s online editor and cellist Davina Shum has just completed a three-month run of My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre. Here she shares her strategies for how she kept the repeated performances fresh and spontaneous without forsaking her sanity
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Premium ❘ Focus
Opinion: Playing by numbers
In theory, it is possible for a student to gain their ABRSM Grade 8 having only learnt 24 pieces in their life. Davina Shum argues that such a quantified approach to learning is no way to become a rounded musician
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Blogs
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
Positive audition preparation outcomes – even when you don’t get the job
While the process may be daunting, repetitive and sometimes demoralising, there is huge value to be found in preparing for auditions. Online editor and cellist Davina Shum examines five positive things to take away from preparing for orchestral auditions
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Focus
‘The bride entered the room, her eyes flashing daggers at the groom’ - The Strad’s top wedding disaster stories
The Strad’s editorial staff and writers share their memorable stories of wedding gigs that didn’t quite go to plan
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Blogs
Scaling the walls: what musicians can learn from bouldering
Cellist and online editor Davina Shum examines the parallels between rock climbing and music-making and how an approach in one discipline can inform the other
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Blogs
Popper studies: celebrating the small victories
The enjoyability and longevity of Popper studies lie in the small gains that gradually accumulate to a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, writes cellist and online editor Davina Shum