Laurence Vittes

Laurence Vittes

Laurence Vittes headshot

Laurence Vittes grew up in Los Angeles, and trained as a cellist, librarian and writer. He wrote for The Economist, LA Times, and Huffington Post. In addition to Strings, Vittes write for The Strad, Gramophone, Bachtrack, and Seen & Heard International.

Your Favorite Album: Mozart's Piano Concertos

Favorite Song to Play on Your Instrument: Bach's Six Cello Suites

Instrument of Your Dreams: Mozart's piano

Articles by Laurence Vittes

tutti bassi

Tutti Bassi Create Simple Beauty on ‘Have Cellos Will Travel’

Each of the 29 tracks on Tutti Bassi's Have Cellos, Will Travel is an example of the delights to be found in phrasing and dialog, in creating simple beauty from simple sounds.

Baltomire Symphony Orchestra conductor Jonathon Heyward reading music

New Conductorships Signal Change in the Orchestral World

There is a wave of new conductorships in U.S. classical music, with profound generational shifts also occurring in Europe and women increasingly appearing on the podium.

Francesca Dego with violin

Violinist Francesca Dego and Conductor Sir Roger Norrington’s Mozart Concertos Are a Fresh Take Based on Historical Resources

The Mozart Violin Concertos recording with violinist Francesca Dego combines old and new traditions, using modern instruments but infused with Sir Roger Norrington more than 60 years of research and experience.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music president David H Stull

SFCM President David H. Stull on the Pentatone Acquisition and His Vision For the Unique Alliance

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s acquisition in May of the Dutch label Pentatone creates a unique platform for the conservatory’s already formidable array of professional music education resources and opportunities.

Eric and Colin Jacobsen with violin

How American and European Classical Music Tastes Develop on Local and Global Levels

Among the younger composers globally, there is a yearning for the freedom of being decompartmentalized—and many look to the U.S. for new models in composition and programming.

violinists Tessa Lark and Francesca Dego and violists Zachary Carrettin and Hsin-Yun Huang

6 Tips for Left-Hand Flexibility in the Violin and Viola

Pain doesn't need to go hand-in-hand with left-hand flexibility on the violin and viola. Here are 6 tips for improving left-hand flexibility with the violin and viola.

conductor Herbert Blomstedt

Herbert Blomstedt’s Completion of the Brahms Cycle With the Leipzig Orchestra Has a Relaxed Human Touch

Herbert Blomstedt's completion of the Brahms cycle (symphonies 3 & 4) with the Leipzig orchestra has a relaxed human touch.

orchestra playing onstage

Classical Music Learns to Sell Itself by Taking a Page from the Sports Playbook

As the classical music industry emerges from the pandemic, the issues of allocating resources to sales and marketing and making serious commitments to R&D could well determine an orchestra’s future.

classical music radio host Jim Svejda

Jim Svejda’s Retirement and the Role of the Classical Music Radio Host

When Jim Svejda arrived in 1979, classical music radio in Los Angeles was flourishing. His retirement this year prompts a look at the state of classical music radio in 2022.

Rebecca Fischer playing violin

Violinist Rebecca Fischer Reflects on a Life Saturated in Music in New Book

Untethered from musical scores in "The Sound of Memory: Themes from a Violinist's Life," Rebecca Fischer tells her story in a graceful, loose-knit narrative that sifts through drifting memories.