All violin articles
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NewsCompetition preview: What to know before the George Enescu International Competition for the violin division
From 7-16 September, the violin division of the George Enescu International Competition takes place in Bucharest, Romania, with 50 contestants aged between 14 and 31 in the running.
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BlogsHow I found my violin (or rather, how my violin found me) - Lois de Cruz
Lois de Cruz shares how buying a £150 violin led to a musical journey that has helped her through a time of need and grief
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NewsWinner of the 2024 Tibor Junior International Violin Competition announced
Of a total of 15 candidates from all over the world who came to Sion, Switzerland, to participate in the biannual competition, the 16-year-old Corina Deng won first prize as well as three special prizes.
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NewsViolin maker Ansaldo Poggi to be celebrated in new exhibition
One of the most highly regarded Italian luthiers of the 20th century, he was an apprentice of Giuseppe Fiorini
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BlogsMy great-uncle Alex, his violin, and the premiere of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’
When Anton Alterman acquired his great-uncle Alex Drasein’s violin, little did he know that it was the instrument Draesin played for the 1924 world premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The discovery spurred on the writer to find out more about the violinist.
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VideoDocumentary: World War II violin restored for nonprofit's music project
Once played in a German prisoner-of-war camp, the instrument has been brought back to working condition by the Belgium-based Music Fund
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NewsAlleged Stradivari violin seized at Ukrainian border
The instrument, containing a label dated 1713, was found in a car travelling to Romania
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ReviewBook review: The Living Art of Violin Playing: Progressive Form
Philippa Bunting reviews Maureen Taranto-Pyatt’s well-described account of her theories on ’progressive form’
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Focus8 tips for perfecting your violin varnish
Advice from The Strad Archive on preparing, applying and drying varnish for best results
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Focus6 tips for improved coordination
Guidance from The Strad’s archive for greater synchronisation between left-hand fingers and bow
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ReviewBook review: Polish Violin in the Musée de la Musique in Paris
Philip Brown reads through Jan Bartoś’ investigation into a mysterious instrument in the Paris museum’s collection, revealing the details that prove its Polish origins
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1742 ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
Best known as Yehudi Menuhin’s instrument for much of his career, the violin is still in an excellent state of preservation
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Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Vadim Gluzman on Brahms’s Violin Sonata no.1
The Israeli violinist discusses why colour, shading and restraint are key in the first movement of this often-misinterpreted work.
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1737 ‘Panette’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
For years the main instrument used by Isaac Stern, it is now in the hands of Renaud Capuçon.
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1737 ‘King Joseph’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
Once considered the crowning achievement of Guarneri’s career, this instrument has pristine golden-orange varnish
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1740 ‘Fritz Kreisler’ Carlo Bergonzi violin
One of the finest existing examples of Bergonzi’s work, the instrument still retains its original neck
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NewsFrench violinist wins the 2023 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
First prize of $5,000 was awarded to violinist Emmanuel Coppey, along with five paid performance engagements
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1709 ‘La Pucelle’ Antonio Stradivari violin
Considered to be the first instrument made during the master luthier’s ‘golden period’, the violin is in an excellent state of preservation
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ReviewReview: ABRSM Violin Exam Pieces from 2024
Alex Laing reviews the Associated Board’s new violin examination works, from Grades 1 to 8
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2024: 1715 ‘Baron Knoop’ Antonio Stradivari violin
The favourite instrument of collector David L. Fulton, for whom its tone is ’silvery with lots of “sizzle”’