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Premium ❘ FeatureThe power of three: the string trio
Jacqueline Vanasse explores the unique properties of the string trio, delving into its history and repertoire with the guidance of some of today’s top trio players
Premium ❘ Focus‘Curiosity is at the core of human nature’ - Roberto Díaz’s life lessons
The US–Chilean violist and director of the Curtis Institute of Music discusses the importance of technique and curiosity
Premium ❘ Feature‘We hope this unjust penalising of ’cellists will disappear’ - From the archive: May 1925
Not planes but trains: a century ago, cellists were up in arms about railway operators charging extra to allow instruments on board. Pedagogue Carl Fuchs reveals the result of the latest petition
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Alina Ibragimova on Schumann’s Violin Sonata no.2
For the Russian–British violinist, Schumann’s Violin Sonata no.2 may be exhausting but rewards listeners with a profound insight into the composer’s deepest soul
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: cellist Zlatomir Fung on recording operatic fantasies for his debut album
For his debut album, US cellist Zlatomir Fung has delved into the world of the operatic fantasy – a relative rarity on the instrument. He speaks to Peter Quantrill about how making the recording has revealed new aspects of his musical personality
Premium ❘ FeatureGeorge Enescu: a musical polymath
Tully Potter explores the rich and colourful life of George Enescu, the extraordinary Romanian violinist, composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue, who died 70 years ago
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Becoming a ‘bowist’
Violinist and teacher Alun Thomas explains why, when working on our technique and expression, string players should focus much more attention to the right arm than we might at first imagine
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis May 2025: Dealing with concert cancellations
One of the main problems for venues and promoters is what to do when an artist cancels at the last minute. How can they best appease their audiences? Peter Somerford investigates
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Gateshead: Tertis and Aronowitz International Viola Competitions
Tully Potter attended the 2025 editions of the Tertis and Aronowitz International Viola Competitions – held for the first time under one roof in the north-east of England – and he couldn’t fault the results
Premium ❘ FeaturePhilippe Quint: a time of change
US violinist Philippe Quint speaks to Rita Fernandes about his deeply personal new album Milestones, which represents a turning point in his career
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Frank Peter Zimmermann on Schumann’s Violin Concerto
Although the German violinist came late to Schumann, the Violin Concerto remains one of his repertoire staples – and provides an insight into the composer’s fraught mental state
Premium ❘ FeatureAdvice from peers: sharing the wisdom
Charlotte Gardner speaks to leading string players who have learnt valuable lessons from their colleagues and contemporaries, demonstrating that such insights are not only passed from teacher to pupil
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the London Handel Players on recording Telemann’s ‘Paris’ Quartets
As part of its 25th-anniversary celebrations, the London Handel Players has recorded six of Telemann’s ‘Paris’ Quartets. Robin Stowell speaks to two of the ensemble’s members about bringing the dance elements in the music to life
Premium ❘ Focus‘Always be truthful and loyal to yourself’ - Maximilian Hornung’s life lessons
The German cellist on his varying influences and what it takes to be a musician
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis April 2025: Changes for German freelance tutors
As music schools in Germany react to a government decision on freelance tutors, what are the ramifications for budgets, students and teaching bodies?
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: The importance of repetition in teaching
In the practice of teaching, the value and beauty of repetition must always be encouraged, says violinist and pioneering Suzuki pedagogue Helen Brunner
Premium ❘ FeatureFrom screen to strings: concert works by screen composers
Rita Fernandes presents a curated list of string works by ten composers best known for their screen work, as well as interviews with composers and players
Premium ❘ FeatureViolinist Arabella Steinbacher: angels and demons
Pauline Harding hears from the German violinist about her cathartic journey into the darkest depths and brightest heights of Lentz’s Violin Concerto, its pairing with Beethoven on her latest recording and the impact of motherhood on music making
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Germany: Heidelberg String Quartet Festival
Carlos María Solare joined the loyal audience at Heidelberg’s String Quartet Festival, which celebrated both its 20th anniversary and the upcoming 90th birthday of composer Helmut Lachenmann
Premium ❘ ArticleViolinist James Ehnes: an exclusive profile from The Strad’s archive, November 2007
Charismatic, honest, self-critical, and with an amazingly relaxed approach to performing, the Canadian virtuoso charms Michael Quinn in this archive interview from The Strad’s November 2007 issue
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Fabio Biondi on Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette
Discovering Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette was a pivotal moment in the Italian violinist–conductor’s path to understanding the world of 19th-century Romanticism
Premium ❘ Feature‘They never seemed quite to forgive each other’ - From the archive: March 1915
The somewhat irascible Belgian cellist Ernest de Munck, who passed away on 19 January 1915, is remembered by his student Dora Petherick
Premium ❘ FeatureCellist Zara Nelsova: A sound from a dream
The Canadian-born cellist Zara Nelsova was a fierce advocate for the repertoire she loved and for four decades an inspirational teacher at the Juilliard School. Oskar Falta explores her life and remarkable career, and hears from some of the musicians who studied with her
Premium ❘ Focus‘You have to feel you’re worthy of standing on stage’ - Julia Fischer’s life lessons
The German violinist on her influences and navigating today’s challenges
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Violinist Liya Petrova on recording Korngold and Strauss
Bulgarian violinist Liya Petrova tells Emma Baker about how her new album pairing Korngold’s Violin Concerto with Richard Strauss’s Violin Sonata came into being, and about striving for a sense of spontaneity
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Embracing diversity in string teaching
Having made the difficult journey from an unbending conservatoire education to a fulfilling career playing and teaching non-classical styles, French violinist Scott Tixier says it’s essential to embrace diversity in music education
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis March 2025: How string music education is continuing in Ukraine
As the Russia–Ukraine war continues, how are string music educators managing to continue their efforts to train the next generation of musicians?
Premium ❘ FeatureViolinist James Ehnes: A journey with Bach
Canadian violinist James Ehnes combines his virtuosity and musical intelligence as he takes a deep dive into the Bach violin concertos – both extant and reconstructed. He speaks to Thomas May about this latest chapter in his multifaceted career
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Hanover: Joseph Joachim Violin Competition
At the 2024 edition of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, Charlotte Gardner was treated to a masterclass in how a music contest can give its candidates a wholly positive experience
Premium ❘ FeatureOut of the shadows: violin pedagogue D.C. Dounis
The Greek-born violinist and mandolinist D.C. Dounis was one of the most influential pedagogues of the 20th century, but his life and works still remain shrouded in mystery. Clifford Hall investigates why
Premium ❘ Focus‘Make mistakes to find your own musical path’ - Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt’s life lessons
The German cellist and pedagogue recalls his own mentors and reflects on the necessity of taking chances
Premium ❘ Feature‘Ysaÿe’s pictures are tone paintings’ - From the archive: February 1905
US correspondent Edith L. Winn describes a stateside performance by Eugène Ysaÿe in prose so effusive that even the virtuoso would blush
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Bucharest: George Enescu International Competition
The long-running George Enescu Competition has now very much proved its mettle amid the international circuit, as Rita Fernandes discovers
Premium ❘ FeatureDinner with Kreisler: the Kreisler 150th anniversary
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Austrian virtuoso violinist’s birth on 2 February 1875, long-time fan Ariane Todes imagines a dinner-party conversation with her hero, based on documentary evidence and accounts by his contemporaries
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Timothy Ridout on recording a new solo album
As violist Timothy Ridout makes his first foray into recording alone, he and his producer Andrew Keener tell Davina Shum about the process of setting down music by Bach, Britten, Shaw and Telemann
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Making the most out of chamber music coaching
Playing chamber music well is the most valuable, and demanding, lesson for both string students and their teachers, says cellist David Finckel. He shares his own wealth of experience for making the most of coaching sessions
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis February 2025: Star string players targeted online
Some of the world’s top string players have become targets for online scammers – and it doesn’t stop there. What steps should all musicians take to help protect their fanbase?
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Creating core in your viola sound
Jeanne-Louise Moolman shares tips on how to create a sound with core on the viola
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Glenn Dicterow on Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s ‘Symposium’
The New York Philharmonic’s former concertmaster recalls how he first learnt the solo part of Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s ‘Symposium’ before a national tour with the composer conducting
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