A Case of Mistaken Identity
By Scott Flavin Some years ago, violinist Gil Shaham came to town to work with the New World Symphony (NWS), performing and giving classes. I had a student playing for him, so I went to his master class (which was…
May-June 2019
These Pieces by Joseph Joachim Are Delightful Gems
By Mary Nemet Joseph Joachim: Fantasies on Irish and Hungarian Themes for Violin & Orchestra (Piano reduction) Bärenreiter, €26.95 The creations of a famous soloist and leader of his quartet, Joseph Joachim’s compositions took second place to his extensive concertizing.…
In Carbon-Fiber Instruments, the Weave Helps Customize Sound
There have been many innovations applied to these carbon-fiber musical instruments over the years to help shape the sound, including the weave of the material itself.
Violinist Philippe Graffin on Completing & Recording an Unknown Ysaÿe Sonata
By Cristina Schreil Violinist Philippe Graffin could not believe his eyes. He was in the Brussels Conservatoire, leafing through a collection of musical sketchbooks by Eugène Ysaÿe—a composer for whom Graffin has a particular love. He glimpsed at a violin…
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Trio Oreade Records Mozart’s ‘Divertimento’ on 3 Strads
By Cristina Schreil The first time violinist Yukiko Ishibashi encountered the Stradivari she now plays, it was an emotional lightning-bolt moment. There were tears. “At the first moment when I played it I felt, for the first time in my…
Exploring Composer Caroline Shaw’s Music for String Quartet
By Thomas May Writing string quartets feels like a homecoming for Caroline Shaw. Deeply rooted in early formative experiences, her love of the medium serves as a kind of creative anchor. Amid the slipstreams and demands of a dizzyingly successful…
Violinist-Violist Jasminfire’s First Solo Record Is Part Spiritual Journey, Part Art Project
By Cristina Schreil When violinist, violist, and singer Jasmin Charles was eight, she received a gift from her mother. It was a children’s book about jazz—and, it came with a letter. “Jazz is the music of our people. Jazz is America’s…
Violin and Bow Makers Discuss Their Historical Influences—& Finding Room For One’s Own Unique Style
Compiled by Megan Westberg Éric Gagné Montréal, Canada Award-winning bow maker Éric Gagné began his career working for Blaise Emmelin in France before moving to Brussels to work for Pierre Guillaume at “Maison Bernard.” Gagné then shared a workshop with…
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Approaching Rhythm in Édouard Lalo’s Sonata for Cello & Piano in A minor
By Miranda Wilson Anyone expecting Édouard Lalo’s cello sonata (1856) to sound anything like his cello concerto is in for a surprise. While the concerto, like Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, comes from Lalo’s “Spanish” period of the…
Violinist Emma Meinrenken Opens Up About Breaking In The 1689 ‘Baumgartner’ Strad
By Cristina Schreil Violinist Emma Meinrenken’s many accolades include winning first place at the Stradivarius International Violin Competition. It’s fitting, then, that she now plays a violin by Stradivari. On loan from the Canada Council of the Arts, the instrument…
Instrument, Bow Makers & Judges Offer Advice on Having a Successful VSA Competition
By Greg Cahill Winning a medal—gold, silver, or bronze—or a certificate of merit at the prestigious Violin Society of America’s International Instrument and Bow Making Competition can translate into financial reward for luthiers and archetiers. But entrants in the violin,…
Cellist Laura van der Heijden on the Optimism Within Prokofiev’s Sonata for Cello & Piano
Player: Laura van der Heijden Title of Work: Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 119 Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Date Composed: 1949 Name of Edition: Sikorski I think I first heard the Prokofiev Sonata performed live by cellist Fedor…
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How a Student’s Struggles with Rhythm Taught Me a New Way to Teach
By Megan Lynch Chowning I have been teaching the fiddle for 30 years, and since the very beginning, I’ve focused the majority of my educational energy on danceability and groove and everything rhythmic. Traditional American fiddle music—whether it’s bluegrass, old-time, Texas…
Playing Up to Tempo with Your Musicianship Intact
By Laurel Thomsen A quick web search for advice about playing faster on a bowed stringed instrument returns the suggestions that the player practice more, practice more slowly, and use a metronome to gradually increase the tempo over time. All these…