Violinist.com

V.com weekend vote: How many apps do you use in violin practice and performance?

Sun, 15 Nov 2026 02:38:29 GMT

By Laurie Niles: It seems like there is a new app every day to help with violin-related activities like practicing and performing. There quite a lot of the obvious ones that help you tune the instrument and can serve as a metronome.

But there are a host of other ones, some that have become commonplace, others that are newer. With phones such a major part of life these days, I'm guessing that many of us use at least one app on a regular basis for violin, and probably some people use many. (And then again, it sure is nice to get away from it all, and use none!) One app that I use on a frequent basis is forScore, the app that allows me to read music on my iPad. I find it especially helpful for orchestra music practice parts, which often can be downloaded. Of course there is Ray Chen's Tonic app, which aims to "gamify" practice - you turn on your microphone and it tracks how long you practice and also has communities and rewards. He also offers Tonic Notes, an app for teachers in which you upload audio from lessons so it can give back AI summary for your student (and can do it in another language, too). A new app that recently came to my attention is Tonagi, which plays drones and scores your intonation. And there are many, many others - too many for me to describe! Do you use any apps in your practice and/or performance? Which have you found to be the most helpful? How many do you have on your phone or tablet? How many do you use on a regular basis?, and if so how many? Please participate in the vote and then share your experience with apps in the comments. You might also like:

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For the Record, Op. 407: Marc Bouchkov, Hiu Sing Fan

Sat, 14 Nov 2026 00:30:05 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.

Violinist Marc Bouchkov. Photo by Marco Borggreve, courtesy of the artist.

From the Beginning Marc Bouchkov, violin Julien Quentin, piano

Paganiniana Hiu Sing Fan, violin

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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Review: Catherine Cho in Recital at the Music Guild in LA

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 22:03:58 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Up until know, I've known Catherine Cho mostly as the brilliant and creative violin pedagogue who teaches at The Juilliard School, where she has been on the faculty for some 30 years. Cho's name regularly appears in the bios of professional soloists and competition winners who studied with her (like, for example, the most recent winner of the Indianapolis Competition). Cho also helps run the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies, where she taught a joyful, instructive and very memorable violin master class that I watched back in 2023. So when I heard that she would be playing a recital in Los Angeles on Monday, I knew had to come see Catherine Cho the performer. (She also gave a master class earlier in the day at the Colburn School in downtown LA - I regretted I couldn't see both.) The recital was hosted by The Music Guild, the longtime chamber music series that takes place at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, across the street from UCLA on the corner of two winding and hilly neighborhood roads in Westwood. Cho performed a recital of works by Bach, Beethoven and Schubert with Albert Cano Smit, a Spanish/Dutch pianist whose playing is worth its own headline. Smit is a first-prize winner in both the Naumberg International Piano Competition and the YCA Auditions who holds degrees from Juilliard and Colburn and has a long list of impressive accomplishments as a performer.

Violinist Catherine Cho and pianist Albert Cano Smit, performing for The Music Guild.

The evening began with J.S. Bach's four-movement Violin Sonata No. 4 in C minor, music which felt home in this setting, beneath the church's arches and stained-glass windows. As you might expect from a pedagogue (and practitioner of yoga), Cho played with picture-perfect position, her hands, arms and shoulders poised for ease of motion. The third-movement "Adagio" was especially effective, with Cho's simple and beautiful violin melody flowing over the piano's running notes, which trickled with the ease of water in Smit's hands. In the fourth-movement "Allegro," with its complicated interplay and fugal moments, I noticed Cho's satisfying sense of rhythm and arrival, attributes that make it easier for an audience to "understand the point" in counterpoint. Next was Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata in E flat major, Op. 12, No. 3. As with all of Beethoven's "violin sonatas," they showcase the piano as much as the violin, with Beethoven actually calling them "Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin" -- the piano listed first. From the beginning, the two instruments traded off moments in the spotlight. The first movement of this sonata involves breakneck-speed sextuplets, which can easily become a wash, but not with these two musicians -- Cho enunciated them cleanly beneath the slurs, and Smit made them admirably articulate in the piano. The second movement's long lines also came through beautifully, with Cho drawing out effective melody and phrase lines against the challenge of extremely long and slow bows. (What bow control!) The third movement again showed Smit to be a master of accuracy and also completeness, with seemingly no note left behind in an endless barrage of them. The second half of the program featured Franz Schubert's "Fantasie in C major for Violin and Piano," a freewheeling late work with seven movements, all played without a break. Smit, speaking before their performance, described how one movement is a set of variations based on an earlier song, "Sei mir gegr�sst," and as he spoke an audience member broke out, singing that song. It was a revealing moment, showing the level of musical interest, knowledge and devotion among The Music Guild's faithful audience. Schubert's Fantasie also has a reputation. First, it's just plain difficult to play. The beginning is so ethereal and unusual, it can be hard to pull off convincingly. It evolves later into a thicket of relentless and highly technical noodling. And, it's long - an early critic complained that it "occupied rather too much of the time a Viennese is prepared to devote to pleasures of the mind," going on to describe how, during the performance he attended "the hall emptied gradually, and the writer confesses that he too is unable to say anything about the conclusion of this piece." Harsh! But we know how these stories go - 200 years later, the piece is now widely beloved by violinists, if a little off the beaten path for the classical concert-going public. Certainly I love this piece, and it was a real treat in the hands of Cho and Smit, who also offered a poetic description of certain moments in the piece, where "you don't know where the shadow and light is." Indeed, at the opening of the piece Smit created a shimmery piano tremolo that seemed to evolve from nothing, with the Cho's violin line entering so quiet and still, feeling more like those shadows and light than music. The piece warms and changes, and throughout this pair played with keen attention to detail and expression. And for the violin geeks among us: during the triumphant Allegro vivace I was impressed with Cho's wicked-good separate-bow, off-the-string, four-string bariolage, as well as a speed-of-light tremolo that was actually very fast measured 16ths. As the kids would say, "Fire!" In all this energetic duo was a pleasure to witness.

Laurie Niles and violinist Catherine Cho, after the recital.

* * * For more information on concerts by The Music Guild, click here. You might also like:

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 575: Yoonshin Song, Vadim Gluzman & Katherine McLin; Christian Tetzlaff

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 19:31:15 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 Yoonshin Song.

Yoonshin Song performed Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor with the Houston Symphony and Emmanuel Tjeknavorian.

EarRelevant: "Her solo appearance this evening was truly impressive.... Her intonation was impeccable�large shifts and high passages were infallible. She played expressively, with a richly warm vibrato. Her articulations were scrupulously clean�she was always in the right part of the bow."

Vadim Gluzman and Katherine McLin performed Arvo P�rt�s "Tabula rasa" with the the Pro Musica Columbus and Ken-David Masur.

Seen and Heard International: "Gluzman applied his honeyed tone to P�rt�s concentrated meditation breathtakingly. McLin�s more expressively plangent timbre made it easy to hear how the two solo lines take turns cradling each other...."

Christian Tetzlaff performed Elgar�s Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Karina Canellakis.

The Times: "With his dark chestnut tone and muscular double-stopping, his performance at the Royal Festival Hall was as invigorating an account as I�ve heard, sometimes breathless, dashed off a dozen minutes faster than Nige(l Kennedy)."

Daniel Harding and Vineta Sareika performed their first concert series as Music Director and Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Violinist.com: "...(Harding) navigated the orchestra deftly through the rhythmic landmine of the second movement, in which the meter changes nearly every measure. The orchestra sounded vital, engaged and en-pointe....Concertmaster Sareika led with a steady presence, calm but demonstrative, confident and expressive."
San Francisco Classical Voice: "Harding is a lot of fun to watch, and also enlightening as he goes about it. Moving gracefully and vigorously on the podium, he embraces big gestures and all sorts of micro-gestures that trigger responses from the players.... Sareika...could be seen vigorously leading the first violin section."

Ilya Gringolts performed Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Ilan Volkov.

Arcana: "Lithe and incisive, the brief central Scherzo provided the necessary contrast; during which, Gringolts�s passagework was a joy to behold."

The Poiesis Quartet performed in Boston.

Boston Musical Intelligencer: " the ensemble attacked with thrilling vibrancy as the players vivaciously spanned their respective ranges. Elegantly layered in tonality and pensive awareness, the interpretation advanced through subtle movements to catapulting swells. All four musicians volleyed the melody through plaintive exchanges."

Inmo Yang performed Bart�k�s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo.

The Guardian: "Yang was all poise and passion, delivering the long, winding paragraph for the soloist that opens the work with characteristically supple elegance. His tone was tender � almost retro, in fact, in its natty sweetness � even in the more energetic portions of the second movement."

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

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Review: LA Phil's First Concert Featuring a New Music Director and Concertmaster

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 20:35:34 GMT

By Laurie Niles: On Friday night the Los Angeles Philharmonic marked a welcome milestone, with the debut of two important people in their new roles: incoming Music Director Daniel Harding and new Concertmaster Vineta Sareika. I was happy to be there, happy to celebrate the start of a new era!

Daniel Harding conducts the LA Phil, with pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and new LA Phil Concertmaster Vineta Sareika, seated by Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang. Photo by Timothy Norris, courtesy of the LA Phil.

A little background: British conductor Daniel Harding was named Music Director of the LA Phil in late May, just in time for the departure of Gustavo Dudamel, who completed his 17-year tenure in August. Dudamel is now Music & Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic. Harding, 51, was highly favored among the musicians of the orchestra, and at the beginning of Friday's concert, three musician search committee members - Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang, clarinetist Andrew Lowy and bass trombonist John Lofton - took the stage to explain why: they liked his experience, his musicianship and his commitment to the hard work of creating outstanding musical experiences. Friday's concert was the first of two concert series that Harding will conduct this season, the next being a set of concerts in early January featuring "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss (more info here). He will officially start as Music Director in the 2027-28 season, leading eight weeks of concerts, eventually increasing to 12.

LA Phil incoming Music Director Daniel Harding. Photo by Elizabeth Asher, courtesy of the LA Phil.

Sareika was named concertmaster in June. A native of Latvia, she made history as first woman to hold the position of First Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, serving from 2023 to 2025, and she has an impressive resume beyond that. Sareika, 40, is the first hire after an LA Phil concertmaster exodus that saw the departure in fall 2024 of First Associate Concertmaster Nathan Cole and Assistant Concertmaster Akiko Tarumoto for Boston, followed by the retirement in spring 2025 of Concertmaster Martin Chalifour, who had held the position for 30 years. Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang had been serving as Acting Concertmaster since Chalifour's retirement, and she sat next to Sareika at Friday's concert. The performance was billed as a "Casual Friday" concert - generally those are abbreviated performances with no intermission, followed by an onstage conversation with the artists and an after-party featuring LA Phil musicians (and some complimentary beer). The house was full, and on the program was a 15-minute work "Latest" by Betsy Jolas (age 100!); then the 25-minute "Jeremiah" Symphony by Bernstein was to be skipped on Friday (played just on Saturday and Sunday's non-casual performances); concluding with Brahms' popular Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Leif Ove Andsnes. Once the concert began, however, it took me several minutes to realize that we were not listening to a 21st-century piece by a centenarian -- it sounded so mid-century, why? Because it was the Bernstein Symphony. That switch, plus the 20-minute chat at the beginning, made for an hour-and-a-half concert with no intermission, with the expectation of staying longer for an onstage conversation post-concert. To be blunt, it was too long without a break for any concert - and certainly outside the expectations for "Casual Friday." That said, I enjoyed watching both Harding and Sareika during the Bernstein. When it came to Harding, I especially appreciated the way he navigated the orchestra so deftly through the rhythmic landmine of the second movement, in which the meter changes nearly every measure. The orchestra sounded vital, engaged and en-pointe. Concertmaster Sareika led with a steady presence, calm but demonstrative, confident and expressive. After some confused applause following the second movement of the Bernstein (many still may have assumed this was the conclusion of the shorter piece that was listed in the program), mezzo-soprano Avery Amereau sang the last movement's "Lamentation" with amazing power, intensity and expression, and the initial silence that followed the end of the piece was a testament to its impact. (Plenty of applause and a standing ovation followed.)

Mezzo-soprano soloist Avery Amereau, with Concertmaster Vineta Sareika at left. Photo by Elizabeth Asher, courtesy of the LA Phil.

Next was the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major by Johannes Brahms, played by Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsenes. An especially large Steinway grand piano was moved to the center of the stage, its lid raised to maximum height (and perhaps beyond). Unfortunately, from my vantage in Disney Hall's front orchestra section, the piano lid completely blocked the view of Harding, Sareika, and most of the orchestra.

Alas, the piano lid obscured the view.

With much of the visual element of the concert removed, it certainly was a different experience, and it limited the insights I can offer about Harding's conducting and interaction with the orchestra during that particular piece. It was a little more like listening to a recording, so at a certain point I just closed my eyes and experienced it that way. What lifted me from this somewhat frustrating situation was the playing of Principal Cello Robert deMaine, whose solos during the third movement were exceptionally beautiful and expressive, rising from the texture of this piece. Also, the intricacies of the fourth movement's back-and-forth were well-played and well-placed, a detail which points to good leadership. I will look forward to the chance to further observe Harding's conducting style and its affect on the orchestra, and to watch the new LA Phil concertmaster Sareika - in future concerts.

L-R: Vineta Sareika, Bing Wang and Daniel Harding. Photo by Elizabeth Asher, courtesy of the LA Phil.

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Young Concert Artists Announces 2026 Audition Winners

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:33:19 GMT

By Laurie Niles: On Monday the New York City-based Young Concert Artists (YCA) announced the winners of its 2026 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions: the Donum Quartet of South Korea (which includes violinists Seungwon Park, 26, and Inhae Cho, 26, violist Ilgyeong Shin, 26, and cellist Hyeonmin Lee, 27); soprano Bridget Esler, 26, of Canada; and pianist Taige Wang, 16, of the U.S.

The Donum String Quartet, L-R: Hyeonmin Lee, Seungwon Park, Inhae Cho and Ilgyeong Shin.

The three winners, chosen from more than 150 applicants, will join the YCA roster. They will receive a three-year comprehensive artists management contract, performance opportunities at top venues around the globe, and YCA-presented debut recitals in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as ongoing mentorship by YCA leadership and alumni; a commercially-produced album; training in education and community engagement projects; individual brand development; special projects such as commissions, multi-media collaborations, and more. About the three winners: Formed in 2019 at Seoul National University, Donum Quartet has won numerous awards and currently serves as the Graduate Quartet in Residence at The Juilliard School. Soprano Esler currently is a young artist at the Op�ra de Montr�al�s Atelier lyrique and has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montr�al and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Pianist Wang currently is a student of Veda Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School and is a YoungArts Winner with Distinction, Lang Lang International Music Foundation Young Scholar and Steinway Young Artist since age 13. The jury also awarded Laureate Prizes ($5,000 career development grants) and an invitation to return to the semi-final round of a future audition cycle to Chinese pianist Jack Gao, 22, of China; violinist Tianyou Ma, 25 of China; and violist Emad Zolfaghari, 22 of Canada. "These Auditions represent the heart and soul of YCA," YCA President Daniel Kellogg said. Kellogg was YCA's Composer-in-Residence in 2002. "Our final round showcased an exceptional group of artists who delivered truly superb musical performances. It is a privilege to invite these extraordinary musicians, including our 2026 Ensemble-in-Residence, into the YCA family, and we look forward to introducing them to our community during tonight�s Winners Concert." The winners will perform in a Winners Concert at 7 p.m. tonight at Carnegie Hall�s Weill Music Room. Watch it here. The 2026 YCA jury included YCA President Daniel Kellogg, YCA Founder Susan Wadsworth, Inon Barnatan, Alexander Fiterstein, Martha Gilmer, Jane Glover, Hsin-Yun Huang, Nicholas Kitchen, Erin Norton, Paul Watkins, and Christine Goerke. Here is the entire Final Round from the 2026 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions: Other YCA alumni include Emanuel Ax, Julia Bullock, Anne Akiko Meyers, Jeremy Denk, Ray Chen, Anne-Marie McDermott, Richard Goode, Dawn Upshaw, Mason Bates, Zlatomir Fung, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Kevin Puts, Pinchas Zukerman, Randall Goosby, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Sasha Cooke, and Aristo Sham. You might also like:

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Phoenix Symphony Musicians to Return to Work Nov. 12

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:49:01 GMT

By Laurie Niles: After laying off its 66 musicians and suspending its season on Monday, the Phoenix Symphony Board of Directors announced on Friday that the Phoenix Symphony will return to work next Thursday (Nov. 12), after securing enough funding to lift the suspension of the season and resume performances through December 31. "Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, The Phoenix Symphony is returning to the stage on November 12, and we can't wait to share the music with you again!" said a statement on the Phoenix Symphony's Facebook page. The orchestra also announced a new fundraising campaign called "The Next Movement," which is "dedicated to keeping our musicians on stage and sustaining the Symphony's education and community programs for generations to come." The Phoenix Symphony�s Board of Directors, Staff, and Local 586, American Federation of Musicians met on Monday, the day that all the musicians were officially laid off without pay, and discussed a number of issues, making an agreement "that the Symphony Musicians, Board, and Staff will collaborate on fundraising to support the Symphony," they said in a joint statement.

Photo courtesy of the Phoenix Symphony.

"The 66 musicians (who) were laid off without pay on November 2... are deeply grateful to the donors, audiences, and community members who stepped forward over the past two weeks to support both the Musicians of the Phoenix Symphony and the Phoenix Symphony Association, and to the thousands who watched and shared their performance of Elgar�s 'Nimrod' at the end of that concert," said a statement by the Phoenix Symphony Musicians. The Board also announced the creation of a commission to develop a plan for the Symphony�s long-term financial future, with two musicians serving on it. Musicians� compensation and working conditions will remain subject to collective bargaining. "The musicians are looking forward to the opportunity to provide meaningful input and make their voices heard," say the musicians statement. �We are relieved to be coming back, and we are grateful to everyone who refused to let this orchestra go silent,� said Bridget Pasker, Associate Principal Cello and Orchestra Committee Co-Chair. �Keeping the music playing past December 31 will take all of us, and the musicians are ready to do our part.� The musicians will hold a benefit concert on Sunday (Nov. 8) to raise funds directly for the musicians to help offset the financial hardships caused by the layoff. You might also like:

Phoenix Symphony To Lay Off Its Musicians Starting Nov. 2

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For the Record, Op. 406: Daniel Hope, Gidon Kremer, Ljova, Zo� Aqua

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 20:56:13 GMT

Violinist Daniel Hope. Photo by Cooper & Gorfer, courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon.

Born in Ukraine � 150 Years of Ukrainian Music Daniel Hope, violin Alina Pronina, piano Roman Fediurko, piano Vitalii Kyianytsia, piano

Pages of a Biography Gidon Kremer, violin Geneva Lewis, violin Andrei Pushkarev, vibraphone, tubular Bell Kremerata Baltica

Where We Are Trio Fadol�n Ljova (Lev Zhurbin), fadol�n Sabina Torosjan, violin Valeriya Sholokhova, cello

From the Open Space Zo� Aqua, violin (klezmer fiddle) Gergely R�man, cimbalom K�lm�n Szopos, br�csa K�roly D�nes, bass

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New LA Phil Artistic Leadership Team Members Announced

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 19:40:52 GMT

By Laurie Niles: On Wednesday the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced three musicians - Thomas Ad�s, Silvana Estrada, Samara Joy - who will join the orchestra's recently reimagined artistic leadership team, which has grown to include 10 leaders, plus 3 emeritus leaders, across various musical disciplines and genres.

New LA Phil Artistic Leaders (L-R): Thomas Ad�s, Silvana Estrada and Samara Joy

"The artistic leadership team taking shape will soon include a full complement of leaders in place for the 2027/28 season, when recently appointed Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, Music Director Daniel Harding begins his tenure," according to a statement by the LA Phil. Here is a list of all the people currently tapped for the LA Phil's artistic leadership team, including the newest three, along with their titles:

Daniel Harding, Music Director. Harding, who will lead the team, will conduct three concerts this season, starting officially as Music Director in the 2027-28 season, leading eight weeks of concerts, eventually increasing to 12.
Thomas Ad�s, John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair for New Music. Composer and performer Ad�s will succeed John Adams, who held the role for 17 years and will be honored with emeritus status.
Silvana Estrada, Creative Chair for Latin Music. Estrada, who is a Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and singer-songwriter, will hold a new role.
Samara Joy, Creative Chair for Jazz. Joy, a Grammy Award-winning vocalist, will succeed Herbie Hancock, who has held the position since 2010 and will be honored with emeritus status.
Gustavo Dudamel, Diane and M. David Paul Artistic and Cultural Laureate & the Jane and Michael Eisner Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Judith & Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director
Anna Handler, Ellen and Arnold Zetcher Conductor-in-Residence
Joe Hisaishi, Composer-in-Residence
Emmanuelle Ha�m, Artist Collaborator
Thomas Wilkins, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
John Adams, Creative Chair for New Music Emeritus
Herbie Hancock, Creative Chair for Jazz Emeritus
Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus

Wednesday's announcement did not mention the position of Creative Chair for Film, which was announced in May and will be appointed at a later date, according to the LA Phil. "Today marks the culmination of a years-long vision to bring together an extraordinary group of innovative and inspiring artists who will shape the LA Phil�s future," said President & CEO Kim Noltemy. "Our new artistic leadership team brings us a remarkable breadth of perspectives and strengths across disciplines, allowing us to imagine new forms of presentation, build unexpected collaborations, and create experiences that challenge, inspire and engage audiences. Perhaps most important of all, this team will amplify the wide range of voices, cultures and genres in Los Angeles.� "One of the many things that drew me to Los Angeles was the opportunity to work with extraordinary artists from many fields and backgrounds alongside an orchestra that has always been willing to take risks," Hardin said. "The LA Phil has a remarkable history of questioning conventions, exploring new ideas, and finding new ways to connect music with people. With this creative team and our wonderful orchestra, we will build on that spirit together, respecting the extraordinary traditions we have inherited, but never allowing ourselves to be limited by them. The breadth of knowledge, talent, curiosity, and creativity in this team is astounding and thrilling. I can�t wait to see what we can create together." You might also like:

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 574: Sofia Demetriades, Ray Chen, Philippe Quint

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 23:50:06 GMT

br>Violinist Sofia Demetriades. Photo by Betsan Evans, courtesy of the BBC.

Sofia Demetriades won BBC Young Musician 2026, performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Alpesh Chauhan.

The Times: "The final of BBC Young Musician 2026 was one of the most exciting in years...the winner was 18-year-old Sofia Demetriades, the first violinist to take the top prize since Nicola Benedetti in 2004. Hers was the most conventional performance of the night � a gorgeous, generous, golden reading of Tchaikovsky�s Violin Concerto � yet also the one that connected most directly with the audience, if the rapt atmosphere and rapturous applause were anything to go by."
The Guardian: "Sofia�s innate sense of colour, musical style and architecture combines with an effortless technique, and a joy for whatever music she�s playing. In a competition full of gifted and dedicated young musicians, Sofia�s sensitivity and sophistication stood out in every round."
BBC.com: "The enthralling final... saw Sofia captivate with a performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto"

Philippe Quint performed the U.K. premiere of Lera Auerbach�s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Bassem Akiki.

Bach Track: "The complex piece in four movements began with huge crashes in the orchestra as Quint embarked on a sprightly but rather lone impassioned journey."
Edinburgh Music Review: "Ms. Auerbach even gives the soloist an extended cadenza in the last movement, in which Mr. Quint displayed a fabulous technique as well as a deep understanding of the score. Playing on a 1708 Stradivari violin, his beautiful tone filled the Usher Hall with ease, and one could see and feel the rapport with Mr. Akiki and the RSNO."
The Herald: "Violin soloist Philippe Quint, who premiered the concerto in Los Angeles, recently made a recording of it with the RSNO in Glasgow, and he returned to share the work with a Scottish audience. It makes virtuosic demands of the soloist in its outer movements, but what Auerbach asks of the orchestra in between is just as interesting."
News Letter: "...her multi-layered violin concerto was written partly to depict the memories of the early life of the soloist Philippe Quint, even to the sound of the church bells which he remembers as a child. This was a turbulent, extremely rhythmic piece which also had beautiful lyrical passages. It was performed with great soloist virtuosity, and backed by the Ulster Orchestra in top form."

Ray Chen performed the world premiere of Teddy Abrams' "Seasons of America" with the composer conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "...the motivating music for the first movement is clearly the Preludio from J.S. Bach�s Partita No. 3 for solo violin, for that�s what Chen�s fiddle starts to churn out before veering off into a mashup of a Baroque etude and a hoedown. As Bach surfaces now and then like an underground river occasionally reaching daylight above orchestral decorations of the line, it�s very attractive stuff."
Seen and Heard International: " Inspired by Vivaldi, the four movements provide the soundtrack for a colorful diorama: Appalachian spring, Los Angeles summer, New England fall and alpine winter. Chen danced through the Irish snap of the opening movement and relentlessly relished the solo part�s fierce energy from there on....Chen�s full-throttle commitment to the hugely difficult solo writing won immediate cheers at the end."

Daniel Hope and pianist Maxim Lando performed music of the Gilded Age at Wolf Trap.

Washington Classical Review: "As always Hope and Lando played perfectly in sync regarding their tempi and dynamic ebbs and flows, and it was wonderful to end on a piece (the Franck Sonata) wherein the piano shone as an equal collaborator with the violin rather than mere accompaniment."

Renaud Capu�on performed Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and Elim Chan.

Seen and Heard International: "Renaud Capu�on was fine, ably working his way through the familiar solo line....Capu�on and Chan, though, captured the vitality of the rhythms and the colors of the orchestra with vivid effect."

Leonidas Kavakos performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 with Orchestre Symphonique de Montr�al and Rafael Payare at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Seen and Heard International: "...rather than make a show of the concerto�s virtuosic runs and exposed leaps, (Kavakos) seemed chiefly concerned with its inward life."
San Diego Jewish World: (playing Tchaikovsky at San Diego's Jacobs Music Center) "Kavakos, a seasoned violinist at the top of his form, played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with great virtuosity and complete command. All the melodic material was articulated with passion and the second movement, a Russian lament, was heartfelt in its simple beauty. The last movement was taken with break-neck speed."

Clara-Jumi Kang performed Samuel Barber�s Violin Concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Ryan Bancroft.

Edinburgh Music Review: "...it is a lovely melodic work and was beautifully played by Clara-Jumi Kang....She was very much a child prodigy and is now an international star, and she certainly demonstrated that tonight, receiving a great reception from the Queens Hall audience."

Randall Goosby performed Samuel Barber�s Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Dalia Stasevska at the Barbican.

Bach Track: "There was a quiet gravity to his opening phrases, turning song into searching monologue. The slow movement�s long, aching oboe melody was poetic, but when it was taken up by Goosby, he was not content with passive beauty. Instead, found an austere, probing sorrow that touched something much deeper. When the perpetual-motion finale arrived, it was delivered with relentless clarity and nervous energy..."
The Arts Desk: "I really enjoyed Randall Goosby's lyrical, unforced performance last night...which is a relief as it's what took me to the Barbican."

Cristian de S� performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra.

Arts City Liverpool: "De S�, in his own youth a strings finalist at BBC Young Musician of the Year, talked of the piece�s �drama, beauty, lyricism, humour, joy�, and he invested his performance with all of them, crafting it with what appears an innate musicality and impressive technical virtuosity"

Caroline Pether performed Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending" with Manchester Camerata and G�bor Tak�cs-Nagy.

Bach Track: "The opening chord was balanced to perfection, with Tak�cs-Nagy following Pether instinctively. Rubato was used to great effect. Although the orchestra was modestly proportioned, the chamber-like feel brought intimacy, and Tak�cs-Nagy never pushed for a bigger sound. As Pether�s lark flew into the silent distance and the reverie came to an end, the piece somehow seemed not to beckon applause; it had said everything."

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