- News
- For Subscribers
- Student Hub
- Playing Hub
- Podcast
- Lutherie
- Magazine
- Magazine archive
- Whether you're a player, maker, teacher or enthusiast, you'll find ideas and inspiration from leading artists, teachers and luthiers in our archive which features every issue published since January 2010 - available exclusively to subscribers. View the archive.
- Jobs
- Shop
- Directory
- Contact us
- Subscribe
- Competitions
- Reviews
- Debate
- Artists
- Accessories
Premium ❘ Focus‘No one needs a second Heifetz, we need you’ - Philippe Quint’s life lessons
The Russian-born US violinist on his complex musical upbringing and the power of self-reflection
Premium ❘ FeatureTelemann’s Viol Fantaisies on the viola
When a long-lost set of Telemann bass viol fantaisies was found in a private collection a few years ago, Mikhail ‘Misha’ Galaganov set about arranging them for the viola. Here he explores the history of the works and reveals some of the challenges he encountered in his quest
Premium ❘ FeatureInheriting others’ pupils: a fresh start
Taking on other people’s ex-pupils can be a tricky business – especially when they come with ingrained unhealthy habits. Focusing on upper strings, Alun Thomas outlines what may need to be addressed to make progress
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: How improvisation can help with perfectionism
Having discovered a love of improvisation during the pandemic, cellist Simone Seales believes that the practice can free classically trained musicians from a typically unhealthy fear of imperfection
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Switzerland: Verbier Festival
Charlotte Gardner headed to the Swiss Alps for the Verbier Festival’s 30th-anniversary season where she was doubly dazzled by the combination of star players and the quality of the music-making
Premium ❘ FeatureAnne Akiko Meyers: What’s next?
US violinist Anne Akiko Meyers speaks to Rita Fernandes about her Californian roots, lifelong hunger for commissioning new works, and determination to make a lasting impact on the future of new music
Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Torleif Thedéen on the Lalo Cello Concerto
Cellist Torleif Thedéen discusses how to give a rhythmic, characterful performance of the first movement of this often-neglected work
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: violist Hiyoli Togawa on recording her new album, Children!
Violist Hiyoli Togawa speaks to Carlos María Solare about her latest recording, Children!, which mixes new music with Bach and is based around the themes of childhood memories and family love
Premium ❘ Feature‘Half-hearted work is no use’ - From the archive: December 1893
Violin professor John Tiplady Carrodus (1836–95) exhorts students to show the same commitment to their craft that he did when he was a boy
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Ilya Gringolts on Dvořák’s Romance in F minor
The Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra was the first piece by Dvořák that the Russian-born violinist ever played – and a passport into the composer’s unique harmonic sound world
Premium ❘ Article‘Our viola group was special’ - Letters to the editor: December 2023
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: December 2023 issue
Premium ❘ Article‘Vast quantities of music flung at them’ - From the Archive: November 1923
Composer A.M. Gifford presents a compelling argument for musicians to be more adventurous in their programming
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: The benefits of rest for students
Cellist and teacher Naomi Yandell is often pleasantly surprised at how much progress can be made by students during a break from lessons
Premium ❘ FeatureKronos Quartet at 50: Hunger for the new
Kronos Quartet has been at the vanguard of contemporary string quartet performance for 50 years. Founder David Harrington and former cellist Joan Jeanrenaud speak with Thomas May about the legacy of innovation that the ensemble is celebrating with an ambitious series of projects this season
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Violinist Aleksey Igudesman on Schumann’s Piano Quartet
The Andante cantabile third movement of Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E flat major op.47 holds stirring memories for the innovative violinist and composer
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: The Solem Quartet’s recording of 20th-century and contemporary music
The Solem Quartet’s violist Stephen Upshaw talks to Harry White about the themes of light, shade and perspective that link the works on the ensemble’s album of 20th-century and contemporary music
Premium ❘ NewsPremiere of the Month: Elena Kats-Chernin on her new double concerto
The Sarenka Concerto is in memory of an extraordinary woman
Premium ❘ FeatureSphinx Organization: Change for good
For the past quarter-century the Sphinx Organization has worked tirelessly to bring much-needed diversity to the US classical music scene. Bruce Hodges examines its achievements, and hears from its founder and its president about the future
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Boulder: Colorado Music Festival
A chance to hear the world premiere of a brand new violin concerto commissioned and played by Joshua Bell was the highlight of a trip to the Colorado Music Festival for Emma Baker
Premium ❘ Focus‘I had this nagging feeling that I belonged at the Berlin Philharmonic’ - Matthew McDonald’s life lessons
The Australian double bassist on his influences and journey to becoming the Berlin Philharmonic’s section principal
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis November 2023: Health awareness in the music industry
A new report highlights the importance of health awareness for players, teachers and performing arts institutions – and reaches some startling conclusions
Premium ❘ FeatureDouble bassist Joseph Conyers: Driven by music
Principal double bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, teacher, mentor and entrepreneur, Joseph Conyers has a multifaceted career. David Kettle speaks to him to discover the source of his boundless energy
Premium ❘ Feature'When someone is healthy inside, it sounds that way' - Mental health services in conservatoires
Rita Fernandes hears from administrators, counsellors and teachers from music schools about what defines a successful conservatoire mental health support system
Premium ❘ FeaturePablo Casals and the Bach Cello Suites: Journey to a masterpiece
To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Casals in October 1973, Oskar Falta examines the great Catalan cellist’s ‘rediscovery’ of the Bach Cello Suites, and the continuing legacy of his highly personal approach to the music
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Sergej Krylov on Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto no.1
Mstislav Rostropovich had some resonant words of wisdom for the Soviet-born Italian violinist when they worked together on Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto no.1
Premium ❘ FeatureFinding the right bow: A marriage made in heaven
A string player can miss out on the full potential of their instrument if they don’t find the perfect bow to go with it. A host of players and bow makers share their experiences with Jacqueline Vanasse and lend advice on the process of searching for the right bow
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Flexibility in orchestral playing
Violinist Alexandra Gorski argues that an orchestra’s greatest asset is not power or accuracy; rather the ability to adapt seamlessly to every style of music and manner of conductor
Premium ❘ Feature‘His violin still sings in my ears’ - From the Archive: October 1893
The Strad selects some highlights from the memoirs of violinist Charles Dancla (1817–1907), recently published in Paris
Premium ❘ Focus‘Learning to trust yourself is a never-ending process’ - Nils Mönkemeyer’s life lessons
The German violist on finding his confidence and the journey of becoming a soloist
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Johan Dalene on recording Neoclassical 20th-century works
The young Swedish violinist Johan Dalene speaks to Tom Stewart about recording his fourth album, a recital of luminous, Neoclassical 20th-century music for violin and piano
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Germany: Kissinger Sommer festival
A stay in northern Bavaria’s spa town of Bad Kissingen for the Kissinger Sommer festival proved to be a balm for the soul for Laurence Vittes
Premium ❘ Feature‘We want to learn everything’ - Leonkoro Quartet
Formed in 2019, the Leonkoro Quartet burst on to the scene with a string of competition wins and now a debut album. The foursome speak to Peter Somerford about what it takes to succeed as a young string quartet today
Premium ❘ Feature‘A stroke of fortune’ - From the Archive: September 1903
In his early life, Franz Joseph Haydn supported himself as a violinist. T. Lamb Phipson gives an account of the composer’s formative years
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Eldbjørg Hemsing on Bruch’s Violin Concerto
The Norwegian violinist has fond memories of hearing Bruch’s First Violin Concerto for the first time – and advice for anyone looking to play it themselves in the future
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Hilary Hahn on Ysaÿe’s Solo Violin Sonatas
When Hilary Hahn decided to record Ysaÿe’s Six Solo Violin Sonatas for their centenary year, all the stars seemed to align in terms of both timing and fresh musical insights, as she tells Charlotte Gardner
Premium ❘ Focus‘Your ideas are never as far apart as they seem’ - Ronald Copes’s life lessons
The Juilliard Quartet second violinist on the joy and value of collaboration in chamber music
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Bangkok: International Viola Congress
Carlos María Solare reports from the 48th International Viola Congress, which took place in the tropical surroundings of Salaya, at the western borders of Thailand’s capital city
Premium ❘ Feature‘Early focus on musicality helps adults thrive’ - Billy Tobenkin on adult learning
Billy Tobenkin on why he believes it is beneficial for adult learners to dive straight into ‘grown-up’ repertoire – offering tips on how to proceed
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Japan: Osaka International Chamber Music Competition
The tenth Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and Festa featured a sense of mutual support between the competitors, reports Robert Markow