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Laureates Announced in the 2017 Sphinx Competition
By Laurie Niles: Congratulations to the winners of the 20th Annual Sphinx Competition, which concluded Sunday with a Finals Concert in Detroit, Mich.! The Sphinx Competition is open to all junior high,...
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Do violinists find Rachmaninovs Piano Concerto No. 2 lowbrow?
By Terez Mertes: In my younger, ballet-dancing years, I listened to a lot of piano-based classical music. When I took up the violin in my adult years, I shifted to listening to almost exclusively...
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How Violinists Can Use Yoga for Health and Performance
By Elena Urioste: Hello from Melissa White and Elena Urioste! We are absolutely delighted to introduce you to our new program, Intermission Sessions & Retreat. We had a ton of fun making this video...
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The Week in Reviews, Op. 168: Joshua Bell, Leonidas Kavakos + Yuja Wang,...
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Joshua Bell...
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Fall in Love with Your Sound!
By Amy Beth Horman: How do you feel about your sound? Not your pitch or your projection or your vibrato. Your SOUND. If we all agree that the violin is the closest instrument to the human voice, then...
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Purity practice: find the phrase by losing your vibrato
By Nathan Cole: Vibrato is a good thing. I like it before shifts, after shifts, during tremolo, on pizzicati, over open strings, and even (gasp!) in baroque music! But vibrato, if left unchecked, tends...
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Adele and George Michael: The Messy Art of Getting It Right
By Laurie Niles: Watching the Grammys on Sunday, I noticed that something was not quite right. I was just beginning to talk to the television, to ask it questions: "Um, hello, what key are we in...
View ArticleFor the Record, Op. 15: Attacca Quartet Plays Michael Ippolito
By Laurie Niles: Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep...
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V.com weekend vote: Does your violin, viola or cello label tell you the real...
By Laurie Niles: The label that you see when you look into the left f-hole of a violin (or other stringed instrument) can tell you a number of things -- sometimes it even tells you who made the fiddle!...
View ArticleWatch the Oscar-nominated documentary, Joe's Violin
By Laurie Niles: With the Academy Awards just a little more than a week away, here is one nominee that will likely interest string players and teachers: Joe's Violin, which is up for Best Documentary,...
View ArticleFinally a Tux by Violinists for Violinists
By Michael O'Gieblyn: Hey everybody, This is a review of the FLEXTUX, a tuxedo made by violinists for violinists (and other classical musicians too) because, man if theres one thing I hate, its...
View ArticleThe day Princess Leia's Theme came to life
By Laurie Niles: Can you imagine being the musician that played Princess Leia's Theme, right after it was written? French horn player David Cripps did just that, and he told us about it Saturday in a...
View ArticleWilliam Hagen performs The Lark Ascending, on a 1735 del Gesù violin
By Laurie Niles: Enjoy this performance by William Hagen, of "The Lark Ascending" by Ralph Vaughan Williams, while you read about it: On Saturday I attended a concert by the Kaleidoscope Chamber...
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The Week in Reviews, Op. 169: Hilary Hahn, Christian Tetzlaff, Alina Ibragimova
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Hilary Hahn...
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Mind Your Habits
By Laurie Niles: Are you creating good habits? A few years ago I picked up a book in the airport called The Power of Habit, which made a convincing argument that our habits control nearly everything we...
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V.com weekend vote: Should certain movie soundtracks be considered classical...
By Laurie Niles: With the Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, I thought a movie-music vote was in order! Here is the question I've been pondering: should certain movie soundtracks be considered...
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A Masterclass with Ray Chen
By Caeli Smith: If Ray Chen werent busy making a name for himself as a superb violin soloist and social media sensation, he could probably have a career as a dancer. He has some killer moves. On...
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Reading or Remembering-The Case Against Memorization
By Paul Stein: Musicians juggle rhythm, harmony and melody routinely. That doesnt mean that it ever gets easier. They just get better at it. Violinists have several more plates in the air: bow arms...
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The Week in Reviews, Op. 170: Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Karen Gomyo, Vilde Frang
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Patricia...
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Interview with Sirena Huang, First Prize Winner in the 2017 Oliveira Competition
By Laurie Niles: Now that's some bold playing, and a bold choice. Those were my thoughts, the last time I saw violinist Sirena Huang perform. It was at the 2016 Shanghai competition, where her choice...
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