Violinist.com

Weekend vote: What are your feelings about 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI)?

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 04:10:49 GMT

By Laurie Niles: These days AI - or "artificial intelligence" to use the old-fashioned term - is everywhere. It's trying to write e-mails and social media posts for us and trying to decide what music we want to stream. It has a huge hand in deciding and administering medical care, and the list goes on. It's hard to escape it. As musicians, we've seen technology - call it AI or not - creeping into our space for a long time.

Piano and - PA-Ino?

Popular music has been auto-tuned and quantized since last century, and the MIDI orchestra, complete with synthesized and now digital string sections, has been evolving for nearly a half-century, getting more "realistic" every day. It seems wonderful when AI can help save time or come up with solutions; it seems less so when it threatens people's jobs. Sometimes it feels like it threatens our very humanity, when it starts making art - writing music, words, drawing pictures for us. How do I feel about a book illustrated by AI - or written by generative AI? A song or symphony written by AI? Even an article written by AI? Not great, I must say. (If you are wondering, I don't use it for writing or editing. I deeply enjoy writing, so I'm afraid you are stuck with my words here on V.com!) Last week I saw a documentary called The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist - a very informative and interesting documentary that has spawned a lot of conversation (including an article in the New Yorker, also very interesting). Certainly AI has exploded in the last year, so I thought it would make a good topic for us to discuss. How do you feel about AI? Do you use it? What do you use it for? What would you NOT want to use it for? Is it a comfort to you, or a threat? Or both? Please participate in the vote, and share your thoughts in the comments. * * *

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For the Record, Op. 376: Kronos Quartet, Trio Gaspard, Ava Bahari, Manon Galy, Dallas String Quartet

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:38:55 GMT

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 track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening! Click on the highlighted links to obtain each album or learn more about the artists.

Mahalia Jackson and the Kronos Quartet.

Glorious Mahalia Kronos Quartet David Harrington, violin John Sherba, violin Hank Dutt, viola Sunny Yang, cello

"Glorious Mahalia" weaves together archival recordings of gospel legend and civil rights icon Mahalia Jackson, including a 1957 Chicago performance and a 1963 interview with Studs Terkel, with newly commissioned compositions and a new interview recorded for the album with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.�s speechwriter and lawyer, Clarence B. Jones. In that interview, Jones recounts drafting King�s speech and the historic moment when Jackson called out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!," prompting King to depart from his prepared text. Across three suites composed by Stacy Garrop, Jacob Garchik, and Zachary James Watkins, Kronos sets Jackson�s voice alongside a string quartet in a dialogue between past and present. BELOW: the Kronos Quartet plays along with a 1950s recording of Mahalia Jackson."Sometime I Feel Like a Motherless Child."

Haydn: Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 5 Trio Gaspard

Trio Gaspard was founded in 2010 by musicians from Germany, Greece, and the UK who studied at the European Chamber Music Academy in Vienna. Haydn�s music has been of central importance to their programming over the past 15 years, and it is rare for them to perform a concert without one of his works. Like the previous volumes in the series, Volume 5 eschews chronology and the originally published groupings of the trios, instead curating the works according to their contrasting characters. Trio Gaspard also continues its series of commissioned contemporary works to accompany the Haydn project with the world premi�re recording of Helena Winkelman�s Threesome in a High-den. BELOW: Haydn, plus an excerpt from Winkelman's piece.

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Lemmink�inen Suite Ava Bahari, violin Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conducting

Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, who has served as artist-in-residence at the Gothenburg Symphony for two seasons, is featured as the soloist in Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto, which is said to be an echo of the composer's frustrated dreams of becoming a violin virtuoso. The album, which also includes the Lemmink�inen Suite, is a continuation of a five-year project by Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali to record Sibelius's symphonies and symphonic poems.

Mendelssohn, Brahms & Grieg: Violin Sonatas Manon Galy, violin Jorge Gonzalez Buajasa, piano

"After their first recording, Nuits parisiennes, Manon Galy and Jorge Gonzalez Buajasan open the door to the inner worlds of Romanticism. Surrounding Mendelssohn�s rare Sonata in F major MWV Q 26 (his only mature violin sonata), Brahms�s Second, and Grieg�s Third are a few poetic and intimate gems, such as Sibelius�s Berceuse and Fibich�s Po�me. Between 'melancholy waltz and languorous vertigo,' violin and piano become the exalted yet nostalgic voice of the composers� most personal confidences." BELOW: Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F Major, MWV Q26: III. Assai vivace.

Max Meyer-Olbersleben: Chamber Music Nina Karmon, violin Roland Glassl, viola Benedict Kloeckner, cello Oliver Triendl, piano

Max Meyer-Olbersleben, born in 1850 in Olbersleben, Thuringia, studied at the Weimar Orchestral School under Franz Liszt, and later at the Royal Music School in Munich under Gabriel Josef Rheinberger and Peter Cornelius. He settled in W�rzburg as a professor of counterpoint and composition and served as director of the Royal Conservatory of Music until his retirement in 1920. During his lifetime, 114 works were published, primarily smaller forms such as choral works, songs, and piano pieces. Through his studies in Weimar and Munich, Meyer-Olbersleben was familiar with both the traditionalist and the new German musical language of that era, a combination exemplified by the chamber music recorded here for the first time.

Gratitude Dallas String Quartet Melissa Priller, violin Valory Hight, violin Ion Zanca, viola Young Heo, bass

The Dallas String Quartet, known for its recordings of pops hits, offers a collection of Christian songs, including reimagined versions of "Gratitude," "Goodness of God," and "Oceans." �Many of these songs have been part of our lives for years � songs that have carried us through different seasons and remind us to simply say thank you to God," reads a press release from the group. "Recording this album felt incredibly meaningful. We wanted to let the strings tell the story and bring out the emotion and beauty in each melody."

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Berg�s Violin Concerto Turns 90: The Dramatic Story of Its Premiere

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 03:39:51 GMT

By Jenny Douglass:

We have the Ukrainian-born American violinist Louis Krasner (1903-1995) to thank for the existence of Alban Berg�s Violin Concerto. I got to know Mr. Krasner over the 13 summers that I spent at Tanglewood - from 1978 To 1990 - as a guide, office intern, BUTI, and TMC Fellow. Mr. Krasner�s teaching has continued to inspire and challenge me over my 35 years as a professional musician. I am currently writing a book about him - a biography interwoven with memories from students and faculty at the places where he taught, including Tanglewood, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Syracuse University. If you worked with Mr. Krasner and have a memory to share, please contact me.

April 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the premiere of Alban Berg�s Violin Concerto, which has an origin story filled with drama, politics, and resilience. The details in this essay come from Louis Krasner�s speeches, interviews, and articles he wrote - materials that I�ve found while researching to write his biography.

Composer Alban Berg (right) and Louis Krasner, the violinist who commissioned and premiered the Berg Violin Concerto.

The story begins after Louis Krasner graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1923, when he sailed to Europe to continue his studies with Carl Flesch, Lucien Capet, and Otakar Sevcik. Krasner also spent time in Vienna, where he gravitated toward composers, becoming friends with Anton Webern, Alban Berg, and Arnold Schoenberg. Through them, he became acquainted with the 12-tone style of composition, which he found to be as emotionally expressive as any music. Krasner traveled between Vienna and the United States for several years, becoming well-known as a soloist and champion of new music. Louis Krasner was deeply affected by a performance of Wozzeck - Berg�s first opera, which helped establish him as a highly innovative and experimental composer. Krasner attended that performance in 1931 at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later, on a visit to Vienna in 1934, he sought out performances of Berg�s Lyric Suite, a six-movement quartet written with the then-new 12-tone technique. Krasner�s friends Rita and Rudolf Kurzmann invited a young local ensemble, the Galimir String Quartet, to play it in their home. That soiree turned out to be a pivotal event for Krasner. Hearing the Lyric Suite confirmed his desire to ask Berg to write a violin concerto. He also met the woman who would become his wife of almost 60 years - Adrienne Galimir, the second violinist of the quartet. When Louis Krasner approached Berg with the request to write a concerto, Berg initially rejected the idea, saying that his style didn�t lend itself to the showiness of popular concertos by Wieniawski or Vieuxtemps. Krasner suggested that an Alban Berg Violin Concerto could put to rest the criticism that 12-tone music lacks expressivity. Here was an opportunity to explore the lyrical nature of the violin within the 12-tone framework. �Is this not a worthy challenge?� Krasner asked. Berg agreed to consider the project. The death of 18-year-old Manon Gropius in April 1935 gave Berg emotional inspiration for the piece. Manon was the daughter of German architect Walter Gropius and Alma Mahler (widow of the composer Gustav Mahler). Berg knew the family well and loved Manon like a daughter. He had already begun composing the violin concerto and decided to dedicate the piece to Manon with the inscription �To the memory of an angel.� In June 1935, Berg invited Krasner to his country home on Lake W�thersee in Velden, Austria, to talk more about the piece. Berg asked Krasner to improvise while Berg moved about the house, which went on for several hours. If Krasner started to play a snippet of a known piece, he would hear from the other room, �Nein, keine konzerte. Bitte - nur preludieren.� (�No, no concertos. Please, just improvise.�) Berg showed Krasner sketches of the concerto that included the 12-tone row that he would use. Berg knew that he wanted to incorporate a Bach chorale but hadn�t found the right one. A few weeks after Krasner�s visit, Berg found the perfect chorale, �Es ist genug,� �It is enough,� whose lyrics deal with escaping earthly sorrows. The first four ascending whole tones of the chorale mirrored the last four notes of Berg�s tone row, which felt like a sign from the heavens. In July 1935, Louis Krasner received a letter from Berg saying that the violin concerto was complete. They planned to premiere the piece at the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) Festival two years later in 1937. But those plans changed drastically on Christmas Eve of 1935, with the sudden death of Alban Berg. In mid-January, the ISCM organizers in Vienna sent a telegram to Krasner, asking him if he would be willing to premiere the Berg Concerto in April 1936, with Anton Webern conducting in Barcelona. With only three months to prepare, Krasner said yes. Louis Krasner performed the Berg Concerto three times in 1936 under increasingly dramatic circumstances. Anton Webern provided the drama for the first two occasions. Famous for using very few notes in his own compositions, Webern believed that every note must have its own life. This belief unfortunately impacted his rehearsal technique. During the first two rehearsals in Barcelona, Webern wouldn�t let the Orquestra Pau Casals play more than three or four notes at a time, saying that the notes had to mean more, that each note had to connect with the next in a deeper way. Although Krasner tried to get Webern to read through the piece, Webern remained immersed in the smallest details. In the middle of the final rehearsal and only seven pages into the 76-page score, Webern picked up his score and stormed off, withdrawing from the concert. The German conductor Hermann Scherchen agreed to step in, and at midnight the night before the concert, he led the orchestra through the piece with just 30 minutes of rehearsal time. At the concert, Krasner, Scherchen, and the orchestra rose to the occasion, giving the Berg Concerto a heartfelt premiere. The second performance of the concerto was two weeks later in London, with Webern back on the podium leading the BBC Orchestra. The conditions were much better, as the orchestra was well-versed in contemporary music and had a full week of rehearsals scheduled. The orchestra had been warned about Webern�s in-depth rehearsal technique, but respected his expertise and responded to his demands. Krasner, Webern, and the BBC Orchestra gave an inspirational performance that was broadcast live on BBC radio and is available to us today. (See below) For the audiophiles among you, in 1991, Continuum released a CD of the London performance alongside the Galimir Quartet�s 1936 recording of Berg�s Lyric Suite.

The third performance of the Berg Concerto was under the baton of Otto Klemperer at the opening program of the Vienna Philharmonic�s season in October 1936. Klemperer, a popular conductor in Vienna, drew large crowds, which helped the orchestra financially. Politically, Vienna was becoming divided between those who supported the Nazi agenda and those who did not. The musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic were also divided, with the majority secretly harboring Nazi sentiments. A few days before the concert, Louis Krasner learned that the orchestra intended to cancel the Berg Concerto because the composer and soloist were Jewish. Klemperer said that if the Berg Concerto was removed, he would withdraw from the concert and would never conduct the Vienna Philharmonic again. Support also came from Arnold Ros�, who announced he would perform as Concertmaster for the concerto, which he rarely did. Despite being Jewish, Arnold Ros�s 55-year tenure as Concertmaster made him an influential force. The Berg Concerto remained on the program. At the concert, politics were in the air and tensions were high. Louis Krasner focused on sharing Berg�s music despite the charged atmosphere. As the final notes of the piece faded into silence and before the audience could react, the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic stood up in unison and walked off the stage in protest. Only Krasner, Klemperer, and Arnold Ros� remained on the stage of the Musikverein to face the audience. It was a shocking moment of politics invading the concert hall. Some in the audience cheered, some booed. Arnold Ros� shook Louis Krasner�s hand, which further angered the Nazi contingent in the crowd. A few weeks later, Krasner received a letter from Ros� with a signed photograph from the dress rehearsal: �To Louis Krasner, in remembrance of his victorious stand for Alban Berg in Vienna on 25 October 1936.� Louis Krasner brought the Berg Concerto to the United States in March 1937, performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Serge Koussevitsky at Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York. The concert announcement pictured below contains a handwritten message from his brother-in-law, Felix Galimir (1910-1999), a violinist and well-known faculty member at Juilliard, Curtis, Mannes, and Marlboro. He wrote, �During our move I came across this. I was there! F.G.�

Ninety years later, Alban Berg�s Violin Concerto has become a staple in our concert halls, known for its power and emotional impact. It is one of many gifts Louis Krasner left us from a lifetime of championing new music. The quotes in this essay are from articles written by Louis Krasner for the Alban Berg Society Newsletter (1983) and American String Teacher (1976). You might also like:

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 543: Amaryn Olmeda, Oliver Neubauer, Sergey Khachatryan

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:17:20 GMT

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. Click on the highlighted links to read the entire reviews.

Violinist Amaryn Olmeda.

Amaryn Olmeda performed Miklos R�zsa�s Violin Concerto with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Luisi.

Texas Classical Review: "A Sphinx Competition first-prize winner, Olmeda maintained a clear, singing violin tone that balanced the orchestra perfectly as she negotiated the alternately brilliant and devilish virtuoso passages peppered with multiple stops, and the more lyrical interludes, many containing exotic themes resembling those from R�zsa�s epic film scores....The concert marked 70 years since the local world premiere of R�zsa�s Violin Concerto by soloist Jascha Heifetz."
Dallas Morning News: "On Thursday it had a soloist of jaw-dropping virtuosity, but also suave musicianship, in Amaryn Olmeda. An Australian native not yet 20, currently studying at the New England Conservatory, she dispatched the most fearsome leaps, scurries and double stops as if no trouble at all."

Oliver Neubauer played a recital with pianist Chaeyoung Park at the Morgan Library in New York for Young Concert Artists.

New York Classical Review: "Violinist Oliver Neubauer... was a shining example of the whole package of defining qualities of talent....(he) showed off superb technique: a big, glistening, singing tone, exacting intonation, skill at shifting timbres, and in some extended techniques."

Sergey Khachatryan performed Sibelius�s Violin Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra and Rafael Payare in Miami.

Florida Classical Review: "Khachatryan drew every ounce of emotion from the Adagio and his daredevil tempo and wide vibrato captured the off-kilter polonaise of the finale."

Joshua Bell led and performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Ludwig van Toronto: "From the first notes, he showed exquisite lyricism and phrasing; the distinctive sound of his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius glowed with tonal beauty. Bell�s approach to this concerto was akin to slowly savouring an aged wine."

Benjamin Beilman, pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel performed a chamber recital at Harris Theater in Chicago.

Third Coast Review: "The first movement Allegro (of Schubert�s Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 100) is more notable for harmonic inventions than the melodies. It requires careful playing, and Han, Beilman, and Finckel were very much up for it."

Mateusz Wolski performed Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" with the Spokane Symphony and James Lowe.

The Spokesman-Review: "Wolski...(poured) his considerable resources of color and phrasing into a passage of music, imparting to it a dreamlike narrative quality and an aura of Romantic mystery. In so doing, he alerted us to a role played by the soloist that is often overlooked: as a source of wisdom and guidance, as well as fun and fireworks."

Cellist Pablo Ferr�ndez performed Korngold�s Concerto for Cello and Tchaikovsky�s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Utah Symphony.

Utah Arts Review: "Ferr�ndez did a remarkable job capturing the work�s lyricism with nuanced and beautifully played expressions that captured the innocuous charm of the music."

Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian performed a recital at at Wolf Trap.

Washington Classical Review: "In Debussy�s Cello Sonata, a work slender in length but burgeoning in ideas and technical challenges, Ani Aznavoorian�s mercurial playing and dramatic sense of story-telling drove the three movements forward."

Miha Zhu, 29, of Germany, won the 2026 Leipzig Bach Competition.

The Strad: "Zhu currently studies with Natalia Prishpenko at the Carl Maria von Weber School of Music Dresden. She is an alumna of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and the Berlin University of the Arts."

Mar�a Due�as performed Beethoven�s Violin Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Rodolfo Barr�ez.

The Post: "Violinist Mar�a Due�as dazzles in NZSO�s blockbuster season opener."

Elisabeth Turmo performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Newbury Symphony Orchestra.

Newbury Today: "The last-minute substitution of Norwegian violinist Elisabeth Turmo, in place of the advertised Yume Tomita, proved not merely successful but genuinely inspired....From the opening phrases, her playing was full-toned and dramatic, immediately drawing the audience into the concerto�s distinctive sound world."

Please support live music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can! You might also like:

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For the Record, Op. 375: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isidore String Quartet, Orli Shaham, Stanley Grill

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:18:13 GMT

Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Photo by Andreas Ortner.

East Meets West Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin Nancy Zhou, violin Ye-Eun Choi, violin Muriel Razavi, viola Pablo Ferr�ndez, cello London Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Ad�s, conducting

"This album, the first in a series, provides an excellent example of the breadth of Anne-Sophie Mutter�s artistic curiosity. It takes us from a piece for solo violin to a duo, a string quartet, and finally a large-scale work for violin and orchestra. It also crosses borders and visits other continents..." - from program notes by Bernhard Neuhoff. The album includes "Likoo" for violin solo by Aftab Darvishi; "Gran Cadenza" for two violins by Unsuk Chin (performed with violinist Nancy Zhou); "Studie �ber Beethoven"(String Quartet No. 6) by J�rg Widmann; and "Air � Homage to Sibelius" by Thomas Ad�s. BELOW: Mutter performs "Likoo" for violin solo by Aftab Darvishi.

Adorations Isidore String Quartet Adrian Steele, violin Phoenix Avalon, violin Devin Moore, viola Joshua McClendon, cello

Winner of the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022 and an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2023, the Isidore String Quartet presents its debut album, a program featuring music by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Barber, and Florence Price. Formed at The Juilliard School, the quartet coached with members of the Juilliard String Quartet past and present. The name "Isidore" comes from the violinist Isidore Cohen, one of the Juilliard Quartet�s early members. They describe the album as "a love letter to chamber music," with each work on the album reflecting a unique form of "adoration," offering its own expression of wonder, reverence, and the profound beauty of shared musical experience. The album includes Joseph Haydn�s String Quartet in C major, Op. 20, Felix Mendelssohn�s String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 44, Samuel Barber�s "Molto adagio" and Florence Price�s "Adoration." BELOW: "Adoration" by Florence Price (Arr. for String Quartet by Samuel Araya).

American Tapestry Principal players of Pacific Symphony Orli Shaham, piano

"American Tapestry" features world premiere recordings by leading American composers: Margaret Brouwer, Jessie Montgomery, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Avner Dorman, Viet Cuong, Reena Esmail, Peter Dayton, and Ari Barack Fisher. The works by Dorman and Brouwer were commissioned by Pacific Symphony and are world premiere recordings. The album is the result of decades-long collaboration with musicians of the Pacific Symphony in Southern California, where Orli Shaham has been curator, host, and pianist of the symphony's chamber music series for nearly 20 years. BELOW: "Peace" by Jessie Montgomery, played by Orli Shaham and violinist Dennis Kim.

Stanley Grill: Chamber Music Stanley Grill, composer Brett Deubner, viola Christina Gullans, cello Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano

Composer Stanley Grill presents a double-CD-length album with music for viola and piano, solo piano and cello and piano that he composed over the last decade. It includes Fantasy for Viola and Piano, inspired by the great fantasies composed by Mozart and Schubert; Musikaliches Opfer (eine Hommage) - an homage to Bach; "Aphorisms II" - an exploration of music that flows from one brief idea to another; "Sonatine" - a piano sonata... and more. BELOW: Fantasy for Viola and Piano, played by violist Brett Deubner and pianst Allison Brewster Franzetti.

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes. You might also like:

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V.com weekend vote: How would you rate your own violin or viola posture?

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:10:35 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Holding the violin and bow can literally be a pain in the neck - so how does posture help or hurt our efforts? After all, our playing posture is not just about how we look, it is also about how we feel and how we set ourselves up for using our muscles - ideally using them in a way that does not cause injury down the road.

Illustration by Violinist.com.

And as most of us know, it is a journey. Your first teacher might tell you how to hold the violin or viola, but chances are that you will be tweaking the position for many years. I was thinking about this while writing this week about several master classes. In one class, the teacher, Melissa White, happened to also be an expert in yoga, and so her advice on posture took into account issues such as balance and how one part of the body affect another. She said to "imagine your head is resting on an invisible wall behind you" - this seems like a helpful image! Of course, as musicians we are performers, and so how we appear to our audience does matter, in terms of how they connect with us. A violinist who with poor posture - slouching, etc. may appear less confident, like they are hiding from the audience. On the other side of the coin, a rigidly straight-standing violinist who doesn't move much, might come off as disconnected or lacking in expression. And then there is the issue of health. Certain slouchy habits create problems, especially as muscles do or don't develop around this posture. And, standing rod-straight can also cause back problems and tension problems. The solution lies somewhere in between. I've certainly had to work on this - when I was a college freshman, my teacher insisted I change the way I was holding the violin, and this was so difficult (and annoying, if I'm honest!) But he was right, and I'm grateful. I feel I came out of it with a balanced violin position. I've also had to work on this with my students - constantly! I've noticed that reading music can really affect posture - if you are getting very close and the scroll starts diving under the music stand - this can be the start of some very droopy habits! One of my early orchestra teachers advised that every time we lifted the fiddle, breath in and straighten up - it was good advice that stuck. Where are you in your journey of holding the violin? Have you found the balance? Or do you feel either a bit droopy, or rigid? Please participate in the vote and then share your journey with posture. What changes have you made over the years? What has helped you along the way? Do you have goals for your posture? You might also like:

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ASTA/SAA Violin Master Classes: Melissa White and Amy Beth Horman

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:02:22 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Every year there are a number of master classes among the hundreds of workshops and performances at the American String Teachers Association conference, and at this year's gathering, held in conjunction with the Suzuki Association of the Americas, there were even more than usual. February's conference in San Francisco offered master classes for violin, viola, cello, bass, chamber music and even "eclectic styles." Among the master teachers were violinists Amy Horman, Melissa White and Annie Fullard; violists Jordan Bak and Jen Arnold; cellists Patrice Jackson and Andrea Yun; bassists Patricia Weitzel and Renata Soares C�ceres; and eclectic styles specialists Taylor Morris and David Wallace. Let's just say that I did not make it to all of these master classes! But I did attend two violin master classes - one by Melissa White and another by Amy Beth Horman. These are two musicians I've followed for a long time, and I was excited for the chance to see each of them teach, in person. When it comes to Melissa White, I feel like I've seen her do everything BUT teach! One of the early winners of the Sphinx Competition, Melissa is a founding member of the Harlem Quartet, which recently won a Grammy for its 2023 album Passion For Bach And Coltrane. More personally, I interviewed Melissa in 2019 when she was in town to play the Barber Concerto with the Pasadena Symphony. I also remember nearly a decade ago when she and Elena Urioste started their yoga program for musicians, Intermission, which they continue to offer through summer retreats and visiting seminars.' Likewise with Amy Beth Horman, a top-notch teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory whose teenage daughter, Ava Pakiam, has already started her performing career as she continues her advanced studies. Amy Beth boosted morale for violinists around the world with her Violin Breakfast practice sessions during the pandemic and has written thoughtful and germaine blogs on Violinist.com for more than a decade. Somehow I'd never seen either of these trailblazing violinists teach! I'll start with Melissa's master class, which actually started with a performance by 15-year-old Ava Pakiam (yes, Horman's daughter!), who played the "Love Song" Op. 7, No. 1 by Joseph Suk. It's a beautiful piece full of expressive dissonances and emotional pull. Pakiam played with intensity and impressive technique, especially the many octave double-stops throughout the piece. It was one of those performances that makes one wonder, what can a teacher actually say here? But even the most polished and advanced students need inspiration and ideas, and Melissa seemed to know exactly what to offer, which included both musical ideas and tips about posture. "I love the version you are playing - just keep playing with your own ideas," White said, praising the singing quality of her playing. White also addressed Pakiam's posture, something important to attend to "for the longevity of your career." She talked about stacking up one's body from the ground up, keeping one's spine in alignment. She pointed out that playing the violin puts us into an asymmetrical position, with the weight of the violin on the left shoulder and the bow in the right hand. Thus it is important to get the balance right. For Ava, she noticed the right foot being back - this was bringing a little tilt to the hip, forcing the shoulder to move forward when bowing.

ASTA Master Class: Violinist Melissa White works with Ava Pakiam.

Melissa suggested moving the right foot forward, then softening the right shoulder. She asked Ava to "imagine your head is resting on an invisible wall behind you" and to keep the shoulder resting down her shoulder blade in her back, going from a down-bow to an up-bow. I found Melissa's analysis interesting and engaging, knowing she is coming from a background with expertise in both violin-playing (as someone who teaches and also has played a LOT over a long period of time) and also in yoga, with all of that discipline's strengthening, stretching and balancing. She also worked on some elements in the music. For example, entering after the piano (played by Cole Anderson) has a melodic interlude: "There is sound already happening - imagine enveloping that sound as you enter." She also pointed out a way of thinking about rests in music: "There will be silence, but the music keeps going." And like any good yoga teacher - she reminded Ava to breathe - both literally and in the music. She encouraged her to imagine different versions of a passage, interpretively, and then to really go for it. For example, they were working on a passage with a big shift, giving the notes enormous vibrato, a big crescendo and a lot of excitement - "if you miss it once or twice, going for what you want, it will be worth it." Next was Lilia Li, 16, from Andover, Mass. who performed the highly technical "Carmen" Fantasie by Franz Waxman, playing with nice articulations, great harmonics and an excellent up-bow (and down-bow!) staccato. For this piece Melissa worked with Li on bow strokes and making the notes project, so they can be heard in a hall. For example, sometimes the spiccato (off-the-string) strokes were a little sticky and low to the string - and that was squashing the sound. The idea is for the strings to ring, and "we have to give the strings room for the ring to come through," Melissa said. "When you lift, that is when the string will resonate," so it important to bounce high enough and go slow enough to allow for that resonance. She wanted "more time for the vibrations to carry and cut through." Melissa had Lilia try playing double-stop spiccato strokes on open strings, just to listen for the resonances. "With your ears, go for the sound that you get with your open strings," she said, making sure that the bow bounces high enough. "If the bow just hugs the string, we won't get those resonances." In general, for good tone, Melissa advised being "in the string, but not stuck."

ASTA Master Class: Violinist Melissa White works with Lilia Li.

She also encouraged Lilia to think about notes in terms of enunciation - "each note is as if you were going to say a word," she said. Then they literally made up words to put to the notes in the introduction - it was quite effective! Switching to a different master class - I was happy to watch half of Amy Beth Horman's master class (but sad I couldn't watch all - I had to run away to see a colleague's school orchestra perform - the ASTA/SAA conference is a constant exercise in FOMO!). It started with a performance of Amy Beach's "Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23" by Mia Hernandez-Peng, a student at UC Berkeley. It's a beautiful lyrical piece, and Mia played it expressively, with a special kind of sound and a nice range of vibrato. Horman shared that she also played this piece as a teenager, but at the time, it was played very seldomly. "It was a hidden jewel - and after playing it, I didn't hear it for decades," Amy said. The piece, written in 1893, has enjoyed more popularity in recent years. "Now everybody is playing it!" It is quite Romantic - "We need more of this on the stage," Amy said, "it helps you get in touch with how tenderhearted we are, how connected we are." Amy talked about sustaining the tension of the piece and allowing something to grow. She shared that she does "vibrato mapping" with her students, creating a plan for when to use what kind of vibrato, to help grow the phrases. They "color-code" a vibrato plan in the music - for example, using pink for a "big lathery vibrato" or purple for a "sensitive, sparkly" vibrato, etc.

ASTA Master Class: Violinist Amy Beth Horman works with Mia Hernandez-Peng.

Amy talked about the choices that come with every drop or lift of the finger. Especially in slurred passages, the left hand fingers become responsible for subtleties of rhythm. "The timing of the landing of the fingers, the timing of the lifting of the fingers - these tiny decisions make a difference," Amy said. "If we are in a slur, the timing is determined by the drop and the lift." And this is one of the reasons why it is important to have consistent and reliable fingerings for these passages. "Doing something sensitive like this is like reading poetry," Amy said. Every word - and the placement of those words - matters. Amy also asked Mia to try literally "breathing with the bow," inhaling on the up-bows and exhaling on the down-bows. This mimics what a singer or wind player might do. After trying it Mia said that it helped - "I think I had a better sense of the phrasing." Amy asked Mia to describe her interpretation of the piece, and she clearly had strong ideas about what she was trying to do with it. Amy suggested singing the piece - "it doesn't matter if you're a bad singer - you need to sing to inform your bow, to show it what to do so that you can be connecting notes like a singer." You might also like:

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Anne Akiko Meyers Named Artistic Partner by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:19:51 GMT

By Laurie Niles: The New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has named violinist Anne Akiko Meyers Artistic Partner, a five-year position aimed at expanding the repertoire for violin and orchestra through commissions, as well as producing concerts and recordings together.

Anne Akiko Meyers and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, 2025. Photo by Chris Lee.

Founded in 1972, the Orpheus is a conductorless, musician-run ensemble that performs at Carnegie Hall and throughout the world. Meyers most recently performed with the Orpheus in spring 2025 at Carnegie Hall with the world premiere of "The Pacific Has No Memory" by Eric Whitacre, commissioned in the wake of the devastating Palisades fires. (Hear their world premiere recording here.) "I�m deeply honored to be named Artistic Partner. From our first collaborations, the musicians of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra have inspired me with their extraordinary artistry, trust, and shared sense of purpose," said Meyers, who will assume the role at the beginning of the 2026/27 season. "Orpheus�s unique musical democracy creates a space where ideas flourish and music-making becomes a truly collective experience. I am especially passionate about working with the composers of our time, giving voice to new stories and expanding the violin repertoire. I look forward to what Orpheus and I will imagine, commission, and bring to life together over the next five years." Together, Orpheus and Meyers will commission new works for violin and orchestra, which will be professionally recorded and released across major digital streaming platforms. "Collaboration has always been central to the orchestra�s self-governing, conductorless model, with guest artists integrated into a democratic rehearsal process," said Orpheus Violin and Artistic Director Abi Fayette. "This new partnership honors that tradition by deepening the collective model. This partnership is rooted in shared leadership. Anne will work alongside the Artistic Directors within Orpheus�s democratic framework, collaborating on the selection of composers to commission and helping to shape programs around those works." A recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and an Honorary Doctorate from The Colburn School, Meyers serves on the boards of The Juilliard School and the Dudamel Foundation. She has a long track record (so to speak!), when it comes to commissioning and premiering new works, having collaborated with composers including Arvo P�rt, Einojuhani Rautavaara, John Corigliano, Arturo M�rquez, Philip Glass, Michael Daugherty, Mason Bates, Adam Schoenberg, Billy Childs, Jakub Ciupinski, Ola Gjeilo, Morten Lauridsen, Wynton Marsalis, Somei Satoh, and Eric Whitacre. You might also like:

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 542: Ilya Gringolts, Augustin Hadelich, Alexi Kenney

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:19:40 GMT

Violinist Ilya Gringolts.

Ilya Gringolts directed and performed Tartini�s "Devil's Trill" in a program called "The Devil's Violin" with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Arts Hub: "His playing really is extraordinary, absolutely captivating but without flourish or fanfare. From the very first notes to the last, he commands attention with playing that is both incisive and expressive, coaxing a whispering note from his instrument one moment and then firing away with blazing intensity the next."

Augustin Hadelich performed works by Debussy, Poulenc and Franck in a recital at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco with pianist Francesco Piemontesi.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "The energy crackled. There was hardly a moment to breathe, least of all during the sonatas by Debussy and Poulenc."

Alexi Kenney performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Daniele Rustioni.

Texas Classical Review: "The most stirring performance of the evening came with soloist Alexi Kenney in Barber�s Violin Concerto....The tone of Kenney�s violin was ideal for this interaction: rich and full, always distinct and yet blending smoothly with the ensemble when needed."

Pinchas Zukerman performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Vienna Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta.

Bach Track: "His Bruch was not about fastidious perfection; he brought an approach that felt almost disarmingly relaxed. His tone remains unmistakably vocal, warm, pliant and sustained. He possesses that rare ability to find every corner of the intonation spectrum, coloring each phrase with an effortlessly singing, mellifluous legato."

The Sebastians performed all six of J.S. Bach�s Brandenburg Concertos at Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church in New York.

New York Classical Review: "Liberating Baroque music from the draggy, monumental performances of earlier eras is a good thing, and there was a wonderful bounce to the bass lines of cellist Ezra Seltzer and violone player Nathaniel Chase that energized the higher instruments. One just wished for a few of those moments when time seems to stop and listeners can reflect on what they�ve heard."

Mar�a Due�as performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Soddy.

Limelight: "From her opening fiery double-stopped attack on Bruch�s opening Allegro it was obvious we were going to be taken for an exciting ride by a performer who was both passionate and assured and with a poetic sensibility way beyond her years."

Sergej Krylov performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Umberto Clerici.

Limelight: "In violinist Sergej Krylov, we were treated to an exceptional soloist of formidable technical accomplishment who brought deep emotional commitment to the performance."

Viktoria Mullova performed Brahms' Violin Concerto with The Hall�.

Bach Track: " In the course of this performance it became clear that her high reputation is well-deserved....When she did join in, though, it was stunning. The sound she created was breathtakingly beautiful."

Please support live music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can! You might also like:

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2026 Avery Fisher Career Grant Recipients Announced

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:46:34 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Congratulations to this year�s Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients, announced today, which include violinists Nathan Meltzer and Keila Wakao, cellist Leland Ko and pianist Dmitry Yudin.

2026 Avery Fisher Career Grant Recipients, L-R: Keila Wakao, Nathan Meltzer, Leland Ko and Dmitry Yudin.

Each will receive a $25,000 grant, aimed to give professional assistance and recognition to an instrumental artist with potential for a major career in classical music. Violinist Nathan Meltzer is a Juilliard graduate and student of Li Lin and Itzhak Perlman who plays on a 1682 Andrea Guarneri violin and winner of the 2023 Concert Artist Guild Competition, and major prize winner at the 2022 Sibelius and Singapore International Violin Competitions. He is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Green Room Ensemble. Violinist Keila Wakao is the winner of a number of competitions, including first prize winner of the 2021 Menuhin International Violin Competition? Junior Division and the 2026 Schadt String Competition. A native of Massachusetts, she studied with Joseph Silverstein, Donald Weilerstein and Itzhak Perlman. She currently sutdies with Miriam Fried at the New England Conservatory. She plays on the 1690 "Theodor" Stradivarius violin. Cellist Leland Ko studied with Kirsten Peltz, Ronald Lowry, and Paul Katz before attending Princeton University, where he graduated with an bachelor's degree in German Literature. He earned a master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Minhye Clara Kim, Timothy Eddy, and Natasha Brofsky; then an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser, Yeesun Kim, and Donald Weilerstein. He performs on a 1710 Giovanni Battista Rugeri cello. Pianist Dmitry Yudin began his studies in Moscow's Gnessins School of Music with Lydia Grigoryeva and continued at the Manhattan School of Music with Horacio Gutierrez and has won a number of national and international competitions, including first prize in the 15th International Scriabin Piano Competition. The recipients accepted their prizes Tuesday night at New York Public Radio's Greene Space, after which they each performed. Watch the ceremony and performances here (violinist Keila Wakao at 16:08, pianist Dmitry Yudin at 29:04; cellist Leland Ko at 42:36, violinist Nathan Meltzer at 1:01:40): Started in 1976, the Avery Fisher Career Grant has been awarded to 183 recipients, including violinists Sarah Chang and Paul Huang; violist Matthew Lipman; cellists Carter Brey and Zlatomir Fung; double bassist Nina Bernat; pianists Jonathan Biss and Yuja Wang; and the Calidore String Quartet. Last year's winners included violinist Joshua Brown, cellist Tommy Mesa, and the Viano Quartet. You might also like:

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