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Princess Astrid International Music Competition announces winners
Polish violinist Sara Dragan took the first prize of NOK160,000 (€15,000) and a future concert engagement
50 years of the Takács Quartet
As the Takács Quartet celebrates its 50th birthday, its members talk to Pauline Harding about the ensemble’s legacy, the intangible ‘fifth spirit’ that has shaped its character even as its players have changed over the decades, and the importance of teaching and other projects and challenges
From the land of a hundred violins: Amedeo Simonazzi
The luthier Amedeo Simonazzi was born into a region with a strong native musical tradition – which is almost forgotten today. Stefano Pio reveals how his surroundings influenced his career
Playing Hub
Julia Hagen makes her Vienna Philharmonic debut at the Lucerne Festival
US correspondent Thomas May interviews cellist Julia Hagen, winner of the 2024 UBS Young Artist Award, on the eve of her breakthrough debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Lucerne Festival
‘One of my most loyal musical companions’: violinist Irène Duval on celebrating the music of Fauré
Ahead of the centenary anniversary of Gabriel Fauré’s death and the release of her new album Fauré and Friends, Irène Duval writes on what the great composer’s music means to her and dives into his lesser known second violin sonata in E minor Op.108
‘He has brushed aside all the absurd habits’- From the archive: September 1934
Violinist and conductor Henri Temianka gives some thoughts on the teaching style of his former tutor Carl Flesch, on the occasion of the latter’s 60th birthday
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
What can string players learn from tennis players?
Strength of mentality, discipline, adaptability and an understanding of the basics are all skills that cross between the fields of tennis and string playing, writes cellist and tennis enthusiast Davina Shum
How to adapt the Suzuki Method for adult learners - violinist Meghan Faw
Using the method while teaching adults requires a different approach from teaching children, writes the Suzuki-trained violin teacher
Premium ❘ Feature
50 years of the Takács Quartet
As the Takács Quartet celebrates its 50th birthday, its members talk to Pauline Harding about the ensemble’s legacy, the intangible ‘fifth spirit’ that has shaped its character even as its players have changed over the decades, and the importance of teaching and other projects and challenges
Premium ❘ Feature
From the land of a hundred violins: Amedeo Simonazzi
The luthier Amedeo Simonazzi was born into a region with a strong native musical tradition – which is almost forgotten today. Stefano Pio reveals how his surroundings influenced his career
Premium ❘ Feature
50 years of the Takács Quartet
As the Takács Quartet celebrates its 50th birthday, its members talk to Pauline Harding about the ensemble’s legacy, the intangible ‘fifth spirit’ that has shaped its character even as its players have changed over the decades, and the importance of teaching and other projects and challenges
Premium ❘ Focus
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
Premium ❘ Focus
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
Competitions
George Enescu International Competition announces violin finalists
Three violinists will compete for the €15,000 top prize in Bucharest, Romania, on Monday 16 September
Six violinists advance to Enescu Competition semi-finals
The semi-final will take place on 14 September at Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum
Prizes awarded at the Bratislava International Cello Competition
Held from 6 to 12 September, prizes were given over two categories comprising cellists under 21 and up to age 30
Premium ❘ News
Competitions, Awards and Appointments: October 2024
The latest competition results, appointments and forthcoming contests
Premium ❘ News
Premiere of the Month: Tom Coult’s new work for the Adelphi Quartet
A new string quartet explores the rich possibilities of the genre
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
Masterclass: Debussy Cello Sonata, second and third movements
Cellist Thomas Demenga reflects on the importance of restraint next to the extremes of expressive detail to be brought out in this masterpiece
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
Masterclass: Debussy Cello Sonata, second and third movements
Cellist Thomas Demenga reflects on the importance of restraint next to the extremes of expressive detail to be brought out in this masterpiece
Masterclass: Antonio Meneses on Franck Violin Sonata (Cello Version)
Preserving energy, planning ahead and prioritising phrasing in every line are key to cellist Antonio Meneses’s interpretation of the fourth movement
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: how to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to practise effectively with violinist Ray Chen
The first in our new four-part education themed podcast series features our September 2024 cover star
The Strad Podcast #115: designing your own musical education as an adult learner with violinist Julia Reddy
How can adult students gain musical enrichment beyond the practice room? The violinist, teacher and podcaster shares her strategies
The Strad Podcast: How to hold a masterclass with violinist Paul Huang
The violinist speaks about his teaching approaches in a unique learning experience, in the third part of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: how to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet
‘We should live in a chamber music world’ - the violinist speaks about the importance of collaboration inside and outside of the practice room, in the second episode of our four-part education-themed podcast series
The Strad Podcast: How to practise effectively with violinist Ray Chen
The first in our new four-part education themed podcast series features our September 2024 cover star
Competitions
George Enescu International Competition announces violin finalists
Three violinists will compete for the €15,000 top prize in Bucharest, Romania, on Monday 16 September
Six violinists advance to Enescu Competition semi-finals
The semi-final will take place on 14 September at Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum
Prizes awarded at the Bratislava International Cello Competition
Held from 6 to 12 September, prizes were given over two categories comprising cellists under 21 and up to age 30
Video: First violin performance in space
Violinist and space engineer Sarah Gillis performed ’Rey’s Theme’ by John Williams aboard the SpaceX spacecraft Crew Dragon
Video: First violin performance in space
Violinist Emily Sun performs John Williams’s Theme from Schindler’s List
Michael Rieber plays Franck Sonata on double bass
Sheku Kanneh-Mason in the spotlight at the Lucerne Festival
A Tango performance from the Apollo Chamber Players
Documentary: 100 years of Ravel’s Tzigane
Violinist Rachel Lee Priday performs Paul Wiancko’s ‘Waterworks’
Video: Peter Sheppard Skærved celebrates the Newark School of Violin Making in new film
The Danish Quartet performs ‘Once a shoemaker’ (featuring a clog fiddle!)
Documentary: World War II violin restored for nonprofit's music project
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- Next
From the land of a hundred violins: Amedeo Simonazzi
The luthier Amedeo Simonazzi was born into a region with a strong native musical tradition – which is almost forgotten today. Stefano Pio reveals how his surroundings influenced his career
Why I only make violas: luthier Gabrielle Kundert
The maker shares why she has dedicated her craft to the viola, as we take a close-up look at her copy of a 1787 Castello viola commissioned by National Symphony Orchestra principal violist Daniel Foster
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
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
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
From the land of a hundred violins: Amedeo Simonazzi
The luthier Amedeo Simonazzi was born into a region with a strong native musical tradition – which is almost forgotten today. Stefano Pio reveals how his surroundings influenced his career
Why I only make violas: luthier Gabrielle Kundert
The maker shares why she has dedicated her craft to the viola, as we take a close-up look at her copy of a 1787 Castello viola commissioned by National Symphony Orchestra principal violist Daniel Foster
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
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
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
Concert review: Pacifica Quartet masterclass and concert
Bruce Hodges attends the performance of Shostakovich and Beethoven as part of the Bowdoin Festival at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 1 July 2024
Review: Alexi Kenney masterclass
Bruce Hodges watches the violinist’s workshop on at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 9 July 2024 as part of the Bowdoin Festival
Review: Miriam Fried masterclass
Bruce Hodges hears some words of wisdom from the veteran violin tutor at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 17 July as part of the 2024 Bowdoin Festival
Zoltán Székely: Bartók, Glazunov
A revered Hungarian violinist celebrated as soloist and chamber musician
Guy Braunstein: Braunstein, Delius, Vaughan Williams
Two works by English masters rub shoulders with the Beatles
Haoli Lin: Clement
World premiere of Beethoven dedicatee Franz Clement’s solo violin works
Book review: Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass: Historical and Modern Pedagogical Practices
Philippa Bunting peruses a volume on historical teaching methods penned by US educators Dijana Ihas, Miranda Wilson and Gaelen McCormick
Book review: String Virtuosi in Eighteenth-Century Naples: Culture, Power, and Music Institutions
Robin Stowell appraises Guido Olivieri’s monograph on the great players of the mid-Italian city during the Enlightenment era
Book review: Employment and Vulnerabilities in the World of Orchestral Musicians: Symphonic Metamorphoses
Mark Pemberton, former chief executive of the Association of British Orchestras, gives a critical apprasial of Heather Kurzbauer’s volume on the running of an orchestra
Debate
Opinion: Avoid overloading students with information
Double bassist Alex Ferkey believes that young string players are often derailed by information overload, and should trust more in unconscious processes when trying to perfect their technique
Opinion: Mass discardment of cheap bows
Cellist Andrew Janss was shocked to discover the phenomenon of the cheap, single-use bow: one that costs more to rehair than replace. He calls for a change in manufacturers’ attitudes to such waste
Debate
Opinion: Avoid overloading students with information
Double bassist Alex Ferkey believes that young string players are often derailed by information overload, and should trust more in unconscious processes when trying to perfect their technique
Accessories
Products October 2024: Müsing L Series violin bow
A new bow combines characteristics of the company’s existing ranges
Products October 2024: BAM Cabourg Hightech case
A new pattern for an existing range
Products October 2024: Hidersine Andante strings
A new string range with options for violin, viola and cello
Concert review: Pacifica Quartet masterclass and concert
Bruce Hodges attends the performance of Shostakovich and Beethoven as part of the Bowdoin Festival at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 1 July 2024
Review: Alexi Kenney masterclass
Bruce Hodges watches the violinist’s workshop on at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 9 July 2024 as part of the Bowdoin Festival
Review: Miriam Fried masterclass
Bruce Hodges hears some words of wisdom from the veteran violin tutor at the Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin, ME, US, on 17 July as part of the 2024 Bowdoin Festival
Book review: Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass: Historical and Modern Pedagogical Practices
Philippa Bunting peruses a volume on historical teaching methods penned by US educators Dijana Ihas, Miranda Wilson and Gaelen McCormick
Book review: String Virtuosi in Eighteenth-Century Naples: Culture, Power, and Music Institutions
Robin Stowell appraises Guido Olivieri’s monograph on the great players of the mid-Italian city during the Enlightenment era
Book review: Employment and Vulnerabilities in the World of Orchestral Musicians: Symphonic Metamorphoses
Mark Pemberton, former chief executive of the Association of British Orchestras, gives a critical apprasial of Heather Kurzbauer’s volume on the running of an orchestra
Zoltán Székely: Bartók, Glazunov
A revered Hungarian violinist celebrated as soloist and chamber musician
Guy Braunstein: Braunstein, Delius, Vaughan Williams
Two works by English masters rub shoulders with the Beatles
Haoli Lin: Clement
World premiere of Beethoven dedicatee Franz Clement’s solo violin works
Artists
Julia Hagen makes her Vienna Philharmonic debut at the Lucerne Festival
US correspondent Thomas May interviews cellist Julia Hagen, winner of the 2024 UBS Young Artist Award, on the eve of her breakthrough debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Lucerne Festival
Great string players of the past: violinist Ivry Gitlis on George Enescu
Ivry Gitlis’s lessons with George Enescu focused purely on the music. From October 2013
Augustin Hadelich on his new album, ‘American Road Trip’
The violinist answers The Strad’s questions on America’s cornucopia of musical styles, evident in his upcoming album comprising works by composers ranging from Bernstein to Adams, to Coleridge-Taylor and Beach
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