All Focus articles
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FocusThe Strad Podcast #105: active string teaching and learning with violinist Mahaliah Edwards
Mahaliah shares how she aims to get pupils to enjoy music making, as well as how she strives to be the teacher she would’ve liked to have had
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1742 ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
Best known as Yehudi Menuhin’s instrument for much of his career, the violin is still in an excellent state of preservation
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FocusMy experience: violist Elliot Kempton, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London
Studying in London is a lifestyle that fosters improvement, says the violist
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FocusThe Strad Podcast #104: Brescia vs Cremona with luthier Linda Lespets
What was life like for instrument makers in Brescia? What was the making style like? Why hasn’t Brescia retained the same reputation as Cremona? Linda spotlights the home of Da Salò, Maggini and Rogeri
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1733 ‘Sassoon’ Antonio Stradivari violin
Made when the master luthier was 89 years old, it has plentiful, rich reddish-brown varnish
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FocusLife Lessons: Violinist Hilary Hahn
Adrenalin can be helpful, says the American violinist, but you should never forget the true reasons for performance
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FocusMy experience: violist Élise Hiron, Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, Sion campus
Studying in the beautiful Swiss city of Sion reaps plenty of performance opportunities, says the violist
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FocusDouble Acts: Andrew Fairfax and Anneleen Fairfax-van der Grinten
Husband-and-wife violin makers and restorers Andrew Fairfax and Anneleen Fairfax-van der Grinten talk about their different professional strengths and their shared love of books, wine and Italy
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FocusPractice Diary: cellist Hannah Roberts
The British cellist chooses her warm-up keys carefully before tackling the trickiest passages of Dvořák’s Concerto – leaving the best bits till last
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1737 ‘Panette’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
For years the main instrument used by Isaac Stern, it is now in the hands of Renaud Capuçon.
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FocusMy experience: violinist Edith Cnockaert, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel
Studying at this conservatorium fulfils a lifelong dream and provides a warm, supportive atmosphere, shares the violinist
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FocusDouble Acts: Annette and Steven Isserlis
They may tease each other terribly, but siblings Annette and Steven Isserlis still get a kick out of being on stage together
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FocusThe Strad Podcast #103: adult learner mindset with violinist Rachael Ridge
Embracing gradual growth and progress, curiosity and a willingness to make mistakes is crucial for adults learning a musical instrument, says the violinist
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1739 ‘Beatrice Harrison’ Pietro Guarneri of Venice cello
One of only five or six cellos made by the luthier, it was the British cellist’s principal performing instrument for many years
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FocusMy experience: violinist Alyssa Barker, Berklee College of Music
The violinist shares how the school has given her numerous opportunites to perform in a wide range of styles
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FocusDouble Acts: Brandon Vamos and Simin Ganatra
Brandon Vamos, cellist of the Pacifica Quartet, and Simin Ganatra, its first violinist, discuss the benefits of performing and teaching as husband and wife
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FocusThe Strad Podcast #102: teaching students to teach themselves with cellist Laurence Lesser
In celebration of his 85th birthday and 50 years at the New England Conservatory, Laurence speaks about his teaching approaches, including valuable ’a-ha’ moments from throughout his career
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: c.1580 Gasparo da Salò viola
One of the very few violas by the Brescian luthier that has never been cut down
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FocusMy experience: violinist Kristian Mráček, Prague Conservatoire
What’s it like to study in the cultural heart of the Czech Republic?
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FocusThe Strad Podcast #101: inside the Zemtsov viola dynasty with Dana and Mikhail Zemtsov
What’s it like being in a family where everyone plays the viola? The father and daughter duo share all