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Premium ❘ FeatureBach Cello Suites: inspired by Bach’s feet
Could Bach’s experience as an organist have influenced his decision to write the Cello Suites? Markus Rathey examines the role that pedal technique may have had in the creation of these revolutionary works
Premium ❘ Focus‘Great principals serve their section for the good of the music’ - Scott Pingel’s life lessons
The US principal bassist on his approach to practice and what makes an effective leader
Premium ❘ Feature‘For public solo playing there are none to equal Stradivarius violins’ - From the archive: August 1896
British violinist John Dunn (1866–1940) gives a few thoughts on what makes a great violinist, as well as instruments suitable for an amateur player
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: cellist Alban Gerhardt on recording the Dvořák and Elgar concertos
German cellist Alban Gerhardt tells Jessica Duchen about challenging entrenched performance habits and returning to the composers’ markings in his recordings of the Dvořák and Elgar concertos
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Theatre improv games in teacher training
Actors’ improvisation games should also be used for training string teachers to help strengthen their in-the-moment communication skills, says violinist and teacher Carmen Lasceski-Custers
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis August 2026: The Sphinx Organization thirty years on
Three decades since its creation, the Sphinx Organization has helped countless Black and Latino musicians in their musical careers. But how much has the landscape changed in that time?
Premium ❘ FeatureBrett Dean: the music from within
Australian composer and violist Brett Dean has long drawn on his experience from playing inside the orchestra to shape his own music. He tells Jessica Duchen about how his writing and playing continue to inform each other
Premium ❘ FeatureJordi Savall: connections beyond words
The Catalan gambist and conductor Jordi Savall speaks with Michael White about his six decades of music making, the ideals that have guided his work and the future of the early music world he helped to shape
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from California: Ojai Music Festival
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s California homecoming created a dialogue between European modernism and American experiment, as Thomas May discovered
Premium ❘ Feature‘Truly there were giants in those days’ - From the archive: July 1906
Author and violin maker John Broadhouse reviews the memoirs of British violinist George Haddock (1823–1907), a treasure trove of stories of 19th-century players
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Premium ❘ Focus‘Create a philosophy about what you do as a musician’ - Gary Hoffman’s life lessons
The US–Canadian cellist on Janós Starker and his other formative influences, and on finding authenticity
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Maja Bogdanović on Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto no.1
Learning Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto no.1 was a formative experience for the Serbian cellist, and the piece has been a mainstay of her repertoire ever since
Premium ❘ FeatureMindfulness for musicians: awareness is everything
Incorporating a mindful attitude into our music practice and performance, and into everyday life, brings many benefits. Berenice Beverley Zammit explores its transformative potential
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: viola da gamba player Caroline Nicolas on recording early-Baroque French music
Canadian viola da gamba player Caroline Nicolas tells Charlotte Gardner about recording her intimate and meditative debut solo album of early-Baroque French music
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Liya Petrova on the Walton Violin Concerto
William Walton’s Violin Concerto is a firm favourite in the Bulgarian violinist’s repertoire – even though she had only two weeks to learn it
Premium ❘ FeatureHidden treasures: Charles Wood string quartets
To mark the centenary year of the composer’s death, Jeremy Dibble explores Charles Wood’s six string quartets, in which his Irish background and meticulous craft found their most personal expression
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Why memorisation is so vital
Cellist Hannah Roberts reflects on the value of memorising music, and why developing this skill can deepen understanding and strengthen communication in performance
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis July 2026: Issues with non-disclosure agreements
A case in Canada has put the problem of non-disclosure agreements for musicians in the spotlight. What recourse do artists have when presented with an NDA form?
Premium ❘ FeatureFrançois Rabbath at 95: a legacy of freedom
To mark the 95th birthday of the great double bassist François Rabbath, Naomi Yandell hears from some of his former students about what they have learnt from the distinguished musician, and how they continue to be influenced by his approach
Premium ❘ FeatureGünter Pichler: 1940–2026
The first violinist of the Alban Berg Quartet was also a sought-after conductor and pedagogue. Tully Potter looks back at his life and legacy
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Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from San Francisco: ASTA 2026 national conference
The 2026 American String Teachers Association National Conference was a bustling and inspiring event packed full of talks and performances, as Rita Fernandes and Davina Shum discovered
Premium ❘ FeaturePierre Fournier: In quest of higher truth
Born 120 years ago this June, Pierre Fournier emerged as one of the 20th century’s most influential cellists. Oskar Falta traces his life, artistry and complex legacy, and hears from two of his former pupils
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Laura van der Heijden on Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet
Rehearsing Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet in F sharp minor with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective was a memorable experience for the cellist
Premium ❘ FeatureA violinist’s experience of San Francisco’s disastrous 1906 fire - From the archive: June 1906
Violinist Henry Heyman gives a first-hand account of the catastrophic San Francisco fire of 1906, in a personal letter to The Strad editor Ian Lavender
Premium ❘ Focus‘Chamber music is a microcosm of life’ - Paul Huang’s life lessons
The Taiwanese–American violinist on his formative influences and the importance of chamber music
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis June 2026: How musical institutions have endured in Ukraine five years on
The Russo-Ukrainian war is now in its fifth year. How have Ukrainian music institutions adapted to the ongoing situation and the ever-present threat of drone attacks?
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Catalyst Quartet on recording the Chevalier de Saint-Georges quartets
Catalyst Quartet violinist Karla Donehew Perez speaks to Thomas May about the focus required to reconstruct and record all 18 string quartets by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Period instruments aren’t just specialist tools
Benjamin Shute questions our assumptions about contemporary instrument set‑up and the idea that period instruments are merely specialist equipment
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from New York City: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
In snowbound New York, Davina Shum gained an inside view of the collaborative ethos within the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Premium ❘ FeatureChamber music in small spaces: music without boundaries
Chamber music has its roots in proximity and shared listening. As the genre increasingly migrates to large halls, Irina Rostomashvili explores what happens to musical intimacy – and speaks to fellow musicians about how connection can be preserved
Premium ❘ FeatureChristian Tetzlaff: ‘Following the score is freedom’
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff has built a career defined by artistic independence. As he celebrates his 60th birthday, he speaks to Richard Bratby about the values that have shaped his musical life
Premium ❘ Focus‘The more Haydn you play, the better you’ll play everything’ - David Finckel’s life lessons
The US cellist talks about his inspirations and the power of sound
Premium ❘ FeatureMichael Rabin: a brief flame
Michael Rabin, one of the most gifted violinists the US has ever produced, enjoyed a short but dazzling career before his untimely death at 35. To mark what would have been his 90th birthday this May, Jonathan Woolf examines Rabin’s legacy and his central place in the history of American ...
Premium ❘ FeatureTales of a cinema violinist - From the Archive: May 1926
An anonymous cinema violinist, used to performing alone with a pianist, rails against the vicissitudes of the cinema screen – speaking entirely from experience
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Bonnie Hampton on Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto
The US cellist, who performed with the Francesco Trio for almost 40 years, recalls the exhilaration and challenge of playing Beethoven’s joyous ‘Triple’ Concerto
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis May 2026: The European Parliament tackles airlines’ instrument policies
Members of the European Parliament are now debating the thorny issue of musicians taking their instruments on flights. Could there finally be light at the end of this tunnel?
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Finding creativity in scales
Love them or hate them, scales are at the heart of string training. Violinist and teacher Mark Knight examines why, when approached correctly, they are the gateway to a world of expressive freedom
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Tippett Quartet on recording Glazunov’s string quartets
Harry White speaks to members of the Tippett Quartet about recording the complete string quartets of Glazunov – works that trace the composer’s journey from youthful confidence to late retrospection
Premium ❘ FeatureMany voices, one sound: orchestral blending
How is it possible to create a seamless yet distinctive orchestral string sound? Players from some of the world’s leading orchestras speak to Peter Somerford about the techniques, traditions and listening skills that shape an orchestral identity
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