By Philip J. Kass There’s a famous tale that everyone in the world of violins eventually learns. This tale involves the competition for the design of the violin. Cremona and Brescia were in hot competition, until warfare in the late…
By Thomas May | From the November-December 2019 issue of Strings magazine When the Miró Quartet started out in October 1995, a prediction that it would be thriving a quarter century on must have sounded wildly optimistic. “Because we were…
By Laurence Vittes On a summer night in early August, Laura Kukkonen performed the first violin solo in the first movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ray Chen at the Hollywood Bowl. The 17…
By Stephanie Powell In an effort to save and reuse raw materials, like the silver that’s often found in violin strings, Warchal has launched Phoenix, a new line of recycled strings. Once a player has finished with a set of…
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By Elizabeth Vander Veer Shaak Traveling internationally with African ivory–tipped bows has become a source of stress for many musicians over the last decade. Thus, when the ivory tip of an antique bow cracks, its replacement material is often a…
By James N. McKean If there’s any question in your mind as to whether a violin is as much a work of art as a musical instrument, consider this: Even though the scroll plays absolutely no role in the sound…
By Greg Cahill Thomastik-Infeld is marking its 100th anniversary as an industry leader in the manufacture of instrument strings. But its story really began five years before its founding, in 1914, when Viennese luthier Franz Thomastik, who held a doctorate…
By Greg Cahill Sooner or later, adventurous chamber players get an itch to work on a solo project or to collaborate with others on a side project. Making that move—breaking free of the comfort zone that comes from a longstanding…
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By Miranda Wilson Two related but markedly different string-playing traditions, Irish fiddling and the classical string quartet, come together in seamless fusion on this album by the Irish master fiddler Martin Hayes and New York ensemble Brooklyn Rider. Ten arrangements…
By Megan Westberg How many of you started working your way through your holiday lists, dutifully, in October? I see the precious few of you, raising your hands (trying not to look smug). For everyone else (scrambling to avoid my…
We asked violin luthier Christopher Germain which historical violin maker’s work is closest to his heart and why. Here’s what he had to say. I wish that I could come up with a surprise answer on this, but I can’t. Antonio…
By Benjamin Whitcomb The repertoire for cello is vast, and contains many single-movement works that are suitable as encores. One of the most distinctive is Julie-O by Mark Summer, a fabulous cellist and one of the founding members of the…
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By Pat Moran Spain and Italy have much more in common than shared Latin-derived languages and sun dappled beaches on the azure Mediterranean Sea. Cellist Brandon Vamos contends that the music from both cultures is compatible. “They work so well…
Pickups vs. microphones, pre-amps & amplifiers—what’s the best way to amplify an acoustic stringed instrument?
Player Hee-Young Lim Title of Work Being Studied Six Suites, BWV 1007–12 Composer Johann Sebastian Bach Date Composed It is likely Bach composed his suites for cellos when he served as the Kapellmeister (or musical director) for Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen at…
By David Templeton “We can play songs that make you move, and we can play songs that make you cry, and all of that is great,” says violinist Kev Marcus (the stage name of Kevin Sylvester) of the acclaimed, Florida-based…