4 Things to Check If Your Vibrato Isn’t Working the Way It Should
Here are a few specific points to check in your left hand and arm to make sure you’re ready for an effective vibrato in your string playing.
March 2018
3 Contemporary Summer-Music Programs That Bring Innovation & New Life to the Fore
By Anna Pulley When it comes to classical music, summer programs and workshops abound for musicians seeking to perform, compose, and play music by those who lived hundreds of years ago. It’s rarer to find instruction, performance, and playing opportunities…
Violinist Nuné Melik Explores Her Roots Through Her Debut Album and ‘Hidden Treasures’ Project
When Nuné Melik moved by herself to Montreal in 2009, she felt “rootless.” The violinist was born in Siberia and studied in Moscow but is of Armenian, Georgian, and Jewish heritage. So, it’s little surprise that a source of consolation…
Violinist Rebecca Fischer on How Playing with Character Brings Beauty & Purpose to Musical Expression
By Rebecca Fischer “Beauty is the enemy of expression!” —Christian Tetzlaff, The New Yorker, 2012 Beauty has trouble being labeled. As humans we all know that beauty is deeply subjective, but we still try to put the idea of beauty…
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Workshop, Rest & Repeat: A Selection of Chamber-Music Camps for Adult Amateurs
Intensive summer programs for adult amateur chamber-music aficionados attract serious musicians and earn fierce loyalty.
Violist Antoine Tamestit on His Career as a Solo Violist—and the Dangers Posed by 12 Pages of Pizzicato
By Inge Kjemtrup To work closely with a composer on a concerto that’s tailor-made for your playing must be the dream of many performers. Yet there are some downsides, as violist Antoine Tamestit can attest from his experience with a…
Violin Maker James N. McKean on the Gennaro Gagliano Cello that Left a Lasting Impression
Violin maker James N. McKean answers the question: Of all the instruments that have passed through your hands, which one do you most wish you could have kept? Of all the great cellos I’ve seen or heard, the one that…
5 Minutes with Bassist Linda May Han Oh
For Linda May Han Oh, the word busy is an understatement. Last year, the eclectic New York City bassist, composer, and bandleader released her fourth album, Walk Against Wind, a project that, as it’s on the plastic-free Biophilia label, also ties…
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The Thickness of an Instrument’s Top & Back Is Measured in Tenths of Millimeters, but There Is No Perfect Formula
By James N. McKean Twenty years ago or so my friend Guy Rabut and I were in one of the small tryout rooms at Jacques Francais’ shop on 54th Street, huddled over a violin. It was one of the rarest…
Violinist Sarah Chang on Her 1717 Guarneri del Gesù
For Sarah Chang, her 1717 Guarneri del Gesù isn’t simply her go-to for concerts. It’s also a warm reminder of her “musical godfather” Isaac Stern. You might have heard the astonishing tale: When Chang was about 14, it was time…
A Documentary of Itzhak Perlman’s Life Serves as the Virtuoso’s First Major Biography
By James C. Taylor Itzhak Perlman has been a household name for so long that it’s easy to lose perspective when it comes to his accomplishments: fame, countless awards and honors—plus, of course, his recordings and performances. But there’s a…