September 2024 issue | Social Media Superstar Violinist Ray Chen | The Strad, essential reading for the string music world since 1890

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From this month's magazine

Violinist Ray Chen: Making the connection

Global violinist Ray Chen’s mission is to connect people through music. He speaks to Amanda Holloway about his work both on and off the concert platform – through his Tonic practice app, his social media presence and his new album

Shaping a century of music: Curtis Institute centenary

As it celebrates its 100th anniversary this autumn, the Philadelphia-based Curtis Institute retains its unique status as a centre not only for high-level training but for the education of the whole artist. Thomas May discovers the revered conservatoire’s rigorous standards and personalised approach

Scandinavian Cello School: The road to Vienna

From rural Denmark to Vienna’s Musikverein, Rita Fernandes discovers the Scandinavian Cello School’s distinctive educational ethos while on tour with its cello octet

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‘Teaching, touring and technology’: the Curtis Institute's Dover Quartet on the future of string playing

Thomas May visited the US’s pre-eminent conservatoire of music, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, as part of the school’s 100th anniversary celebrations. While there, he spoke to the Dover Quartet’s cellist, Camden Shaw, about what being part of Curtis’s faculty means to him and to his colleagues, and to the ...

Sentimental Work: Raphaël Merlin on Charles Mingus’s Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

The Charles Mingus jazz standard Goodbye Pork Pie Hat has become the cellist’s own farewell to the Ébène Quartet after more than two decades performing together

Trade Secrets: Purfling and edgework after closing the box

A method that allows for more aesthetic freedom than completing the plates before finishing the soundbox

Technique: Rick Stotijn on double bass pizzicato

The Dutch bassist offers tips on exploring the world of pizzicato on double bass

My Space: Olivier Calmeille’s Montpellier workshop

Examine the Atelier Scordatura in the south of France

Making Matters: Optimising sound spaces for good acoustics

Any luthier’s workshop requires a room or area with good acoustics to assess an instrument’s sound quality. Gideon Baumblatt and Simon Eberl explain how they optimised their sound spaces

Opinion: What makes a good stand partner?

It takes much more than turning up on time and playing the right notes to be a reliable stand partner, says violinist Alexandra Gorski. There are many essential rules to be followed

‘Get to the core of why you want to share music’ - Daniel Müller-Schott’s life lessons

The German cellist reminisces on his soloistic journey and finding purpose

Centre of attention: centring and alignment

Inspired by the work of the Cremonese masters, David Folland explains his method for finding the centre line of an old instrument

In Focus: An 1845 violin by Johann Georg Stauffer

Jakob Nachbargauer and Adrian Elschek examine a mid-century violin by the successful Austrian guitar maker

Masterclass: Mendelssohn String Quartet in F minor, first movement

Second violinist of the Aris Quartet Noémi Zipperling examines Mendelssohn’s emotionally charged movement, considered to be a requiem for his sister and, ultimately, himself

Postcard from Brussels: 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition

The 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition confirmed that the standards and the stakes are higher than ever. Melissa Lesnie reports from one of the most influential string events on the international circuit

Analysis September 2024: Teaching folk fiddling

Since folk fiddling is a very different discipline from playing classical music, how do teaching strategies need to change to accommodate the differences?

Mother tongues: Global Suzuki Method

How can the Suzuki Method be relevant in places where children might never have heard of Twinkle? Peter Somerford speaks to teachers who have adapted their approach to cultures with their own strong musical traditions, or with differing expectations of parental involvement