All Editors pick articles – Page 5
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NewsFacebook engineer who died aged 33 creates fellowship to lend his Vuillaume violin to worthy talents
Eric Sun’s prized instrument will be made available via the Tarisio Trust Sun-Law Vuillaume Fellowship in two-year periods to talented musicians with a community-building proposal
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NewsNancy Zhou wins $50,000 first prize at International Music Competition Harbin
American violinist, 25, adds the Chinese accolade to a number of recent competition successes
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NewsObituary: viola and violin soloist Luigi Alberto Bianchi, 1945-2018
Menuhin protégé who in later years swapped fluidly between violin and viola, and whose career was punctuated by the thefts of two famous instruments
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NewsLuck holds out for violist whose instrument went missing twice in two months
RSNO member Fiona West and violinist colleague reunited with stolen instruments
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NewsViola da gamba travelling in the hold for Alitalia flight destroyed by baggage handlers
Instrument belonging to early music specialist Myrna Herzog could be beyond effective repair
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NewsRobert Mann, founding member of the Juilliard Quartet, dies aged 97
Robert Mann, photographed for the documentary Speak the Music: Robert Mann and the Mysteries of Chamber Music US violinist Robert Mann, a founding member of the Juilliard Quartet, died on New Year’s Day at the age of 97. A teacher at both Juilliard and the Manhattan School ...
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DebatePut yourself in your beginner students' shoes by trying to learn a new instrument from scratch
For most teachers the feeling of clumsiness associated with beginning an instrument from scratch is a distant memory. With the help of Grade1athons, however, it can all come flooding back, as violin tutor Naomi Yandell describes
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FocusMaking a carbon fibre bow in 10 steps – photo story
Founded in 1999, Arcus has developed a reputation for making lightweight, durable bows from non-traditional materials. Company director Bernd Müsing explains how a composite bow is made, from initial design to first hair fitting
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FocusAdvances in string manufacture: the latest developments
There are hundreds of strings available on the market already, and new releases seem never ending. But just why are these developments happening, how necessary are they, and how are musicians involved in that process? Pauline Harding asks string manufacturers and testers worldwide
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FocusProtection and portability: five of our favourite violin cases reviewed
The number of instrument cases available can make finding your perfect partner a daunting process. Charlotte Smith takes five cases by leading manufacturers BAM, For-Tune, Gewa, Musafia and Negri on the road to test security, mobility and the range of features available
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NewsA new work for viola by Shostakovich discovered in Moscow State Archives
The short work for viola and piano, the discovery of which was announced on the composer’s birthday, appears to have been written in one sitting in 1931
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ArticleFlying high: an El Sistema inspired music education programme in China
Inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, China’s Wings of Music aims to bring dignity and self-belief to some of the country’s most deprived children. Nancy Pellegrini reports in this article from 2013
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FocusBlind testing Strads and Guarneris misses a fundamental point
Researchers who seek to compare Old Italian instruments with modern ones under scientific conditions don’t appreciate that the potential of a Strad is intrinsically entwined with its player, writes Frank Almond
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FocusHow much should instrumental teachers push genuinely talented youngsters?
For Royal Northern College of Music senior lecturer in education Philippa Bunting, there’s a delicate balance to be struck
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DebateToo often, performance presentation skills are left in the lap of the gods
It is desirable for music teachers to take stage presentation skills seriously from the very start, argues Naomi Yandell
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FocusAsk the Experts: how to teach a group of violin students
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to our experts
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DebateToo few conductors understand their double bass section
Though the standard of double bass playing has risen exponentially during the past 50 years, conductors’ attitudes towards the instrument have barely changed
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Premium ❘ FocusCellist Timothy Eddy on the teaching styles of Bernard Greenhouse and Pablo Casals
The Orion String Quartet founder learnt the importance of the link between language and music from the two legendary cellists
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FocusViolist Tabea Zimmermann on technique, teaching and competitions
The German violist talks to Carlos María Solare about her teaching philosophies and the role of competitions in the development of young musicians
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DebateDoes the quest for perfection discourage creativity at lutherie competitions?
Has the demand for 'high standards' at violin making competitions left any room for individuality and personality, asks Michael Köberling