Featured Stories – Page 54
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Premium ❘ FeatureString education in regional Western Australia: Sitting on a gold mine
In exploring the past and present of string teaching in regional Western Australia, Rita Fernandes finds examples of both progress and regression, all pointing to the fact that where there is opportunity, there is demand and potential
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Premium ❘ Focus‘The atmosphere was exceptionally energetic and full of excitement’ - Postcard from the Sibelius Violin Competition
Kare Eskola reports from Helsinki on 2022’s emotionally charged International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, the first to take place for seven years
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Blogs‘The power of chamber music shaped my music life forever’: Violinist Arnaud Sussmann
The violinist shares how passion for chamber music at an early age has inspired him to bring the repertoire to new audiences as artistic director of the upcoming Boscobel Chamber Music Festival
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DebateSlow practice should be used only when needed as a learning tool
Are you wasting your time? As musicians we should be doing more to question the standard warm-up and practice regimes, writes violist Paul Neubauer
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FocusViolinist Elena Urioste on why a thorough warm-up routine is a necessity for good practice
The US violinist explains why warming up is an essential part of a day's practice
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Premium ❘ Feature‘Play to the exit sign!’ - Pinchas Zukerman: A matter of time
Pauline Harding visits Dallas, Texas, to chat with violinist– violist Pinchas Zukerman about his illustrious past, a new masterclass series at Meadows School of the Arts, and his hopes for the future of technology in string teaching
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Premium ❘ Feature‘The system proceeded upon was in every way unsatisfactory’ - From the archive: September 1922
Author and expert Towry Piper condemns a recent blind-testing experiment for old and new violins, giving his own opinion on why such endeavours are doomed to failure
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Premium ❘ Focus‘Some of the most otherworldly violin lines I can imagine’ - Jack Liebeck on Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.1
Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto provided some early inspiration for the British violinist – as well as a crash course in some fast, efficient playing
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FocusHow I warm up: violist Maxim Rysanov
The Russian-born viola player gives an insight into his detailed warm-up regimen
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Focus‘It’s always a reward to be on stage’ - Maxim Vengerov on 40 years of performance
Ahead of a celebration concert with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, the violinist reflects on his impressive career in the spotlight as a child, including the pressures, rewards and lessons learnt from a lifetime of performance
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Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: A teenage cellist on spreading the love for classical music
Megan Clarke, a 16-year-old cellist in the National Youth Orchestra, is on a mission to communicate her love of classical music to other young people
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: A Precious Gift - Playing Britten’s viola
Benjamin Britten’s 19th-century viola was a present to him from Frank Bridge. Violist Hélène Clément speaks to Carlos María Solare about recording an album featuring music by both composers on which this remarkable instrument takes centre stage
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Focus10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
Advice on projecting your best sound from over 130 years of The Strad's archives
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FocusHow to produce a strong, uninhibited sound without pressure, by cellist Joel Krosnick
The former Juilliard Quartet cellist explained to Laurinel Owen how to effectively transmit energy from your body to the instrument in 2005
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Blogs‘Art has the ability to make one look at the world from a different perspective’ - cellist Trey Lee
The cellist and artistic director of Musicus, a Hong-Kong based organisation which promotes cross-cultural collaboration through performances, speaks about musical outreach, exploring new repertoire, and overcoming the challenges of travelling with a cello
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FocusSinging during practice can help improve sound and characterisation
Cellist Laurence Lesser suggests that learning to listen to your voice constructively isn't easy, but it helps to set musical feeling directly into motion
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Premium ❘ Feature'The better my body is working, the more efficient I can be' - Elena Urioste: She’s like a rainbow
The award-winning violinist Elena Urioste has many strands to her career. She speaks to Toby Deller about making her BBC Proms debut, yoga, chamber music with friends, and how she kept the music alive during lockdown
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Premium ❘ Focus‘When Mandela asked how I was, I admitted I was nervous’ - Maria Kliegel on Hommage à Nelson M.: Sentimental Work
The German cellist recalls the creation of Hommage à Nelson M., inspired by the life of Nelson Mandela – and the long road to performing it in front of the man himself
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FocusHow can violinists create a personal sound?
Once upon a time, violinists just wanted to get as close to Heifetz's sound as they possibly could. But now that golden standard no longer applies, Jessica Duchen asks, how do the stars of today mark themselves out as special?
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Blogs’After breaking the speed limit a few times, we eventually arrived hot, sweaty and stressed’ - more wedding gig disaster stories
At the time of year when many string players are spending their weekends performing at weddings, we share the best wedding gig disaster stories from The Strad’s readers and followers


























