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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
Premium ❘ FeatureChiaroscuro Quartet: gut instinct
The musicians of the Chiaroscuro Quartet talk to Pauline Harding about the challenges of playing on gut strings, and the emotionally and physically demanding experience of recording the complete Beethoven string quartets
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from the Netherlands: String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam
Clare Varney reports from the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, where an array of star performers and repertoire old and new proved that the genre is alive and well
Premium ❘ FeatureYehudi Menuhin 110th anniversary: music with friends
To mark the 110th anniversary of Yehudi Menuhin’s birth on 22 April 1916, Tully Potter presents an overview of the great violinist’s numerous chamber music partnerships and their recordings
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Johannes Moser on Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto
For the German–Canadian cellist, the theatricality of Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto opened up a fascinating relationship between soloist and orchestra
Premium ❘ Feature‘Paganini was a strange, fantastical man’ - From the Archive: April 1896
The celebrated French violinist Charles Dancla (1817–1907) shares his recollections of seeing Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) perform while he was a youngster
Premium ❘ Focus‘What you have to say is relevant to more people than you think’ - Tanja Becker Bender’s life lessons
The German violinist on connecting with audiences and staying true to your convictions
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: violinist Midori on recording works by Robert and Clara Schumann
Violinist Midori speaks to Thomas May about her new album, which features Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto and juxtaposes his late works alongside chamber music by Clara Schumann
Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Boca Raton: 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
At the 2026 edition of the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition in Florida, Martin Goldman found the standard was higher than ever
Premium ❘ FeatureBack to life: an 18th-century viola concerto rediscovered
When writer and music director Gerald Elias was looking for a work to include in a recent concert, he and violist Devan Maria Freebairn unearthed a rare viola concerto by 18th-century composer Markus Heinrich Graul. They explain how they prepared for its performance and first ever recording
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Why students should rehearse with musicians other than their teachers
Cellist and teacher Naomi Yandell highlights how valuable and insightful it can be for string students to rehearse with a musician outside of their teacher – especially a pianist
Premium ❘ FeatureFrank Peter Zimmermann: ‘Music that possesses you’
Frank Peter Zimmermann is one of the first German musicians to record Elgar’s emotionally charged Violin Concerto, in a new release with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He speaks with Thomas Eisner, a first violinist with the LPO, about bringing the work to life
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Mihaela Martin on the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
For the Romanian violinist and pedagogue, learning the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor was a formative experience, and one that all students should have the chance to enjoy
Premium ❘ FeatureTales of bassist Domenico Dragonetti - From the archive: March 1906
To mark the 60th anniversary of the death of Domenico Dragonetti, The Strad recalls some incidents from the legendary Italian bassist’s life
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Neave Trio on recording Chaminade, Pejačević, and Clara Schumann
The musicians of the US-based Neave Trio speak to Hattie Butterworth about their latest recording, which champions the varied music of three female composers
Premium ❘ Focus‘The spirit of debate is extremely important in a quartet’ - Edward Dusinberre’s life lessons
The British violinist on developing your own voice and putting things in perspective
Premium ❘ FeatureHarness your superpower: self-efficacy for adult learners
Cellist and teacher Billy Tobenkin reveals how adult learners of stringed instruments can improve their sense of self‑efficacy, thus helping themselves to achieve their goals
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: why string players should pay attention to large muscle groups
Fleet fingers may be the ultimate goal for string players, but it’s the larger muscle groups that form the foundations of solid technique, says cellist Davina Shum
Premium ❘ ArticleAnalysis March 2026: Persistent issues with secondary ticketing
As secondary ticketing websites continue to rake in vast profits, a group of affected parties are calling on the EU to take action at long last
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