Violinist.com

V.com weekend vote: Has your 'favorite orchestra' changed over the last five years?

Sun, 17 May 2026 19:40:03 GMT

By Laurie Niles: What is your favorite orchestra these days, and has that changed in over time? And what makes it your favorite orchestra? And by "favorite orchestra" - this can mean a number things. It doesn't have to mean "the orchestra that I think is best in the world" - although it can mean that. It can be your hometown orchestra, an institution in which you take great pride. Or it can be an orchestra across the world, one whose recordings you love, or one which you have seen while traveling. Or, it can be the orchestra that you play in.

Here are a few of my "favorite" orchestras, and why they gained that designation for me over the years. In the beginning, my favorite was the Cleveland Orchestra because it is such a great orchestra, and also, I was born in Cleveland (though I didn't grow up there). I was so proud that the place I was born - while it is not the biggest or most famous city in the world - had a world-class orchestra! (and still does!) Then, growing up in Denver, playing in the Young Artists' Orchestra there, I grew to look up to the Denver Symphony. Which eventually went bankrupt and then was resurrected as the Colorado Symphony. But meanwhile, I moved on - While in college in Chicago - well, who could resist the Chicago Symphony, under Solti? It would seem like I tend to root for the home team, wherever I live - but also, one tends experience live music where one lives! At this point, I have lived for several decades in Los Angeles, where there are so many excellent orchestras! There is the obvious LA Phil, which has been wonderful under Dudamel. Mahler's "Symphony of 1,000" under Dudamel, with my then-10-year-old son in the enormous choir, was one of my all-time favorite concerts, for so many reasons. These days I also love the really satisfying precision-playing and team spirit of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. And I love my hometown Pasadena Symphony, where I often play. I like the nice way is growing under its new music director, the youth orchestras that help my students grow, and the way the PSO rallied around our community after the devastating fires. There are so many reasons you can love an orchestra. What is your current favorite (or list of favorites?) Please answer the vote - has that favorite changed over time? And then please tell us about the orchestras you like, in the comments. * * *

For the Record, Op. 382: Romuald Grimbert-Barr�, Kuss Quartett, Duo Ngoc

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:12:45 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 Romuald Grimbert-Barr�.

Saint-George, P�cou: Caribbean Violin Concertos Romuald Grimbert-Barr�, violin Orchestre national de Cannes, Benjamin Levy conducting

Mozart: String Quintets, K.174 & K.516 Kuss Quartett Jana Kuss, violin Oliver Wille, violin William Coleman, viola Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, cello Muriel Razavi, viola

Luciano Berio: 34 Duets, Sequenza VIII Duo Ngoc Anne Ngoc S�e, violin St�phane Tran Ngoc, 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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Connecting Generations: North Shore Chamber Music Festival Begins June 3

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:34:23 GMT

By Laurie Niles: It's all about connecting generations at this year's North Shore Chamber Music Festival (NSCMF), with young stars and emerging professionals playing alongside seasoned masters, performing some of the most beloved works written for chamber ensemble, including Dvorak's American Quartet, Barber's famous "Adagio", Gershwin's "Lullaby for Strings," and the Tchaikovsky "Serenade for Strings," among others. The annual three-concert series will take place June 3, 5, and 6 at The Village Church in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook. (Click here for more information - I'll be there, so if you go, please come say hello to me!) The organizing force behind this series is international violin soloist Vadim Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe (a married pair) - who founded the annual festival in 2010. Since then, the NSCMF has attracted world-class musicians, supported young artists with its Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund and created an enthusiastic community of both performers and audience members. For 26-year-old violinist Joshua Brown, performing at this year's NSCMF is a kind of "coming home."

Violinists Vadim Gluzman and Joshua Brown.

A recent graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees and Artist Diploma, Brown is an international soloist with some impressive accolades: a 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, as well as 2nd Prize and Audience Award winner at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. And right before the Festival, Brown will perform the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Northbrook Symphony on May 31, in partnership with the NSCMF. (More information on that here.) Ten years ago, Brown was a teenage student from the Music Institute of Chicago (where he was studying with Almita and Roland Vamos), participating in the NSCMF for the very first time. As one of the earliest recipients of NSCMF's Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund grant, he performed Eugene Ysa�e's arrangement Saint-Sa�ns' "Valse Caprice" at the Festival that year. In a true "full-circle moment," Brown will perform the same piece again this year, during the opening concert on June 3. That first appearance with NSCMF "was my first time being part of something with music-making and musicians of the very highest level," Brown told me in a phone interview. "It was special see how that worked." "Another special part of Vadim and Angela's festival is their emphasis on friendships and relationships between the musicians," Brown said. "When you're imagining a career in music, you think about the concerts, of course....But at each concert, you meet different people and form new friendships. That's another special thing about this kind of career: the relationships that you build." Gluzman and Yoffe "really build a community with their festival," Brown said. They invite musicians to dine together and promote a spirit of camaraderie. "It's such an important part of what they do at North Shore. Being part of that from the beginning was really fun. Then over the years, even I wasn't playing in the festival, I would be invited to attend the festival and go to the dinners. It's the same with all their other young scholarship recipients." Founders Gluzman and Yoffe always perform in the Festival, and this year they are joined by a number of younger-generation musicians, the youngest being 14-year-old Swiss piano phenom Lucas Chiche - the newest grant recipient from their Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund. Three previous grant recipients also will join them: Brown (a 2017 recipient), pianist Janice Carissa (2019) and violinist Julian Rhee (2020).

Pianist Lucas Chiche, violinist Julian Rhee, and pianist Janice Carissa.

And among the career professional musicians joining them are violist Masumi Rostad (you may remember him as the dedicatee of Jessie Montgomery's viola concerto, L.E.S. Characters) and Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Violist Masumi Rostad and cellist Mark Kosower.

The New York-based Escher Quartet will perform as special guests, as well as NSCMF mainstay artists, clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg, Principal clarinetist of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra; and bassist Kurt Muroki, professor of double bass at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The first concert on June 3 is entitled "Wunderkind!" and besides his solo piece, Brown also will perform with Chiche and Rostad in Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in C minor from 1820. It's "a very early trio by Mendelssohn - I believe he wrote when he was around 11," Brown said. The work, scored somewhat unconventionally for violin, viola and piano, was published posthumously and is rarely played. On the same concert, Brown and Rostad will team up with members of the Escher Quartet to play Erich Korngold's String Sextet, Op. 10, and in keeping with the "Wunderkind" theme, "this is also a very young work," Brown said. Most of us know Korngold's glamorous-sounding Violin Concerto, laden with the sounds of the composers's earlier film music. "The sextet is from the time before Korngold went to Hollywood," Brown said. In fact, Korngold wrote it when he was still in his late teens. "In the sextet you hear - at least it sounds to me - a lot of inspiration from Brahms. It's in a different vein than the violin concerto. I might even like it a little bit better than the concerto!" For the second concert on June 5, the Escher Quartet - with violinists Adam Barnett-Hart and Bryan Lee, violist Pierre LaPointe and cellist Brook Speltz - will take center stage, performing Dvorak's famous "American Quartet" as well as Barber's String Quartet Op. 11, whose sorrowful second movement "Molto Adagio" is better known as the famous "Adagio for Strings," in its later transcription for string orchestra. That concert will also include Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major and Josef Suk's "Elegy for Piano Trio."

The Escher Quartet and clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg.

The final evening highlights Tchaikovsky, with "Autumn Song," played in an arrangement by Toru Takemitsu for clarinet and string quartet, featuring Shterenberg and the Escher Quartet. Pianist Carissa will be featured in another multi-generation collaboration, performing with Gluzman, Rostad and Kosower in Mozart's Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478. The festival concludes with a performance of Tchaikovsky's famous and well-loved "Serenade for Strings," Op. 48. "This festival is really about generations, together on stage," said co-founder and pianist Angela Yoffe. "I don't think we've ever had four generations, playing on all the NSCMF concerts. It's going to be a lot of fun!" By now NCSMF has given more than 80 scholarships through its Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, and many of the early recipients have gone on to win Avery Fisher grants, international competitions, to secure management and to perform all over the world. For their part, NSCMF partners with numerous performing arts groups - the Kaufman Music Center in New York, Colorado Music Festival in Denver, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra; Northbrook Symphony Orchestra; Avant Symphony Orchestra, Grand Piano Series in Naples, to ArtForFuture initiative in Vienna, Austria - to provide performance opportunities for past and present scholarship recipients. Yoffe had the benefit of mentors and supporters who helped her as young pianist, and the idea of helping along new generations gives her boundless energy - "That�s why I will work 24/7 for this festival!" she told me. She and Gluzman have been able to watch their first grant recipients gain wider recognition and grow into highly regarded artists over the years, while still keeping their connection to NSCMF. "Back then, they were still kids," she said. "There's a real pride in knowing them for 10 years - and now they are big artists!" You might also like:

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 549: Barnab�s Kelemen, Lisa Batiashvili, Kronos Quartet

Tue, 12 May 2026 18:31:34 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 Barnab�s Kelemen. Photo by Szilvia Csibi M�pa.

Barnab�s Kelemen performed nine concertos over a three-day period for a nine-concert series called "Let the World Know" with the Festival Academy Budapest.

Seen and Heard International: "Most mortals would have collapsed by even half of such a schedule but Kelemen triumphed both artistically as well as physically....He performed each of his pieces with mind-blowing virtuosity and disciplined musicality while seemingly physically at ease."

Lisa Batiashvili performed Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Lorenzo Viotti.

Violinist.com: "Batiashvili made it feel terrifically off-balance, but never out-of-control. She had strength and assurance in her playing, but never the kind of muscle that felt forced."
San Francisco Classical Voice: "Georgian-German violinist Lisa Batiashvili...proved the perfect soloist for this challenging work of fantasy and poetry. She illuminated the eclectic and constantly changing patterns and moods, making beautiful sense of the sonic chaos."

The Kronos Quartet performed a concert called "Three Bones" at University of California-Santa Barbara's Campbell Hall.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "'Three Bones' is a moving and educational experience of hidden histories...it celebrates and explores narratives of Native, Black and Chinese American lives."

Cellist Kian Soltani performed Schumann's Cello Concerto, with Leonidas Kavakos conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Bach Track: "The power of three was to the fore at the Royal Festival Hall where the Philharmonia was joined by Leonidas Kavakos (sans violin) and cellist Kian Soltani (with a Stradivari) to give around 100 minutes of refined artistry, in a programme of works by Schumann, Brahms and Dvor�k."

Anne Akiko Meyers performed with Gene Pritsker and his band at Joe's Pub in New York City.

BlogCritics: "Anne Akiko Meyers was her usual energetic and engaged self. Anything to which she lends her positive attitude and magnificent skills is sure to jump up a notch. The highlight of the show, for me, was a stripped-down arrangement of Arturo M�rquez�s orchestral 'Danz�n No. 2.'"

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: Violinist Lisa Batiashvili Performs Szymanowski with LA Phil

Tue, 12 May 2026 04:30:50 GMT

By Laurie Niles: The seasoned symphony musician knows one thing for sure: that if a symphony or concerto ends "fast and loud," the audience tends to go wild with applause. If it trails off quietly - a tepid response is almost inevitable, even when everything that came beforehand was worthy of a roof-raising ovation. I had this thought on Friday, as violinist Lisa Batiashvili came to the end of the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Karol Szymanowski, performing at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Lorenzo Viotti. The music slowed, the solo violin swaying between eerie, quiet harmonics, followed by a quick brittle trill and a skittery ricochet up to a harmonic. Ahhh, so perfectly executed. But wait, was that the end? Do we...clap?

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili. Photo courtesy of the LA Phil.

All I can say is: certainly! The entire concerto was full of thrilling artistry, from a soloist we were lucky to witness in live performance. But Szymanowski 1? It doesn't give an audience all the conventional cues. Szymanowski's seldom-heard, one-movement violin concerto of 1916 has its inspiration in a poem by Tadeusz Micinski that begins "All the birds pay tribute to me, for today I wed a goddess..." Both the birds and the drama figure throughout, with chirpy figures framing moments of searing romanticism. It's also dizzying and a little dissonant, reflecting the time when it was written, in the middle of World War I. The occasional inharmonious blast-chord from the orchestra reminds the listener that this all takes place against the backdrop of conflict and dread times. Yummy stuff, if you're in the right mood, and certainly Batiashvili and the band were all-in. The Georgian-born Batiashvili, who makes her home in Berlin, performs on a 1739 Guarneri �del Gesu� violin. Such a violin can sound too thick in some hands, but in hers it simply sounds like a very, very clear and beautiful voice. And when that big and beautiful voice came up against dissonant harmonies in the orchestra, it was simply delicious. She leaned into it. This music teetered - there were fast-double-stops lurching all over the fingerboard, and Batiashvili made it feel terrifically off-balance, but never out-of-control. She had strength and assurance in her playing, but never the kind of muscle that felt forced. She used her loose and varied vibrato to wonderful effect, slipping unobtrusively from none at all to wide and fast, and a whole lot in between. The cadenza was marked with what I'd call gutsy silences - a silence before diving in to an energetic gesture, another before landing a single note so high and accurate that it seemed straight from the sky. And that spooky ending described above - she delivered it with impressive composure. Batiashvili's exceptional playing drew two standing ovations, but there was no encore (perhaps because of the time constraints of a "Casual Friday" concert with no intermission). The other piece on the program was Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 - a contrast to the Szymanowski in that the piece has been a crowd-pleaser since its smashing debut at the beginning of the 20th century. The third-movement Adagio has inspired at least one well-known pop tune (well-known in 1975!), and the symphony is programmed and recorded on a regular basis by orchestras all over the world. Personally, I love it. Conductor Viotti, performing without a score, worked a great deal of ebb and flow into the tempi, and the LA Phil musicians, with concertmaster Bing Wang, followed admirably. In the first movement, with its swirling lines and interplay between sections, the rubato edged up the excitement - the pulse growing faster just as it would in the heart of a human, the hyper-romantic melody blooming convincingly as a result. In the second movement, a very spritely scherzo gave way to a melody that was positively spilling over with its languor, giving the movement a kind of "Jekyll and Hyde" contrast. The spikey-fast fugue was downright demonic - quite exciting. And then there is the famous third movement, possibly the most Romantic thing ever written. It began with a beautiful solo by LA Phil clarinetist Andrew Lowy, eventually leading to an enormous orchestral apotheosis that did not disappoint. It seemed to enchant the audience, which was in a rare state of alert stillness after this movement. In the final movement, Viotti's exuberance occasionally crossed into the realm of erratic, with some of the faster tempos pushing the point of what you expect from humans vs. what you expect from machines. These fine musicians can make it work but at a certain point "faster" goes past "thrilling" and becomes a blur. Some of the more sentimental themes felt hurriedly dispatched - a quick rewind rather than a relishing of memory. (Granted they go on and on...) The third-movement melody did get a proper slow-down when it returned - then BAM! Back to the extremely speedy business of the last movement. Still, this was a wonderful performance and everyone was on their feet immediately for a long ovation. An excellent evening at the symphony, and the orchestra was in fine form. You might also like:

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Winners Announced in the 2026 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:54 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Congratulations to the winners in the 53rd annual Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, in which 59 ensembles from around the world competed last weekend (May 8-10) at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Top winners in the strings divisions included two Colburn School-based ensembles: Trio Caspar, which won the Gold Medal, Lift Every Voice Prize and Horszowski Trio Prize in the Senior Strings Division; and the Alpaca Quartet, which won the Gold Medal and the Horszowski Trio Prize in the Junior Strings Division. The Grand Prize Medal (a $15,000 award) went to an ensemble in the Wind Division, ZaRiah, a woodwind quintet from New Haven, Connecticut, which also won the Gold Medal in the Senior Wind Division. Here are the final results in the string divisions of the 2026 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition: SENIOR STRING DIVISION

Trio Caspar, from the Colburn School.

GOLD MEDAL ($5,000 and Double Gold Tour) Trio Caspar Colburn School, Los Angeles, CA

Jason Moon, violin/viola
Andrea Caputo, clarinet
Bogang Hwang, piano

SILVER MEDAL ($4,000) Trio Timia Montreal, Canada

June Lee, violin
Fran�ois Lamontagne, cello
Itamar Prag, piano

BRONZE MEDAL ($3,000) Setas Trio Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, MD

Amir Kadamani-Gonzalez, violin
Adrian Bostian, cello
David Lecuyer, piano

Lift Every Voice Prize ($1,500) Best performance of a work by a historically underrepresented composer within the chamber music world. Trio Caspar Horszowski Trio Prize for String Division Piano Ensemble ($1,000) Sponsored by the Horszowski Trio, awarded to the highest-ranking piano ensemble. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will be invited to the Mimir Festival to work with the Horszowski Trio and other distinguished faculty members. Trio Caspar Jury members for the 2026 Senior String Division included Melvin Chen, Kirsten Docter, Meg Freivogel and Rhonda Rider. JUNIOR STRING DIVISION

The Alpaca Quartet, from the Colburn Music Academy.

GOLD MEDAL ($2,500) Alpaca Quartet Colburn Music Academy, Los Angeles, CA

Dominic An, violin
Minji Choi, violin
Henry Woodruff, viola
Starla Breshears, cello

SILVER MEDAL ($2,000) Trio Veritas Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy for Chamber Music, Seattle, WA

Hana Gottesman, violin
Jesse Krentz, cello
David Gatien, piano

BRONZE MEDAL ($1,500) Quartetto Tornando The Royal Conservatory of Music: Taylor Academy, Toronto, Canada

Edward Wu, violin
Sora Sato-Mound, violin
Harrison Yang Meng, viola
Emma Tian, cello

Horszowski Trio Prize ($500) Sponsored by the Horszowski Trio, awarded to the highest-ranking piano ensemble. Trio Veritas Kenneth Geoffroy Memorial Award ($1,000) To encourage the participation of local chamber music ensembles in the Fischoff Competition, a special prize is awarded to the highest-ranking Junior Division applicant from the Michiana region (60-mile radius of South Bend). Yimmy Quartet Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN

Sejune Kang, violin
Artyom Ryzhkov, violin
Joshua Jong, viola
Sonya Cheng, cello

Jury members for the 2026 String Division included Estelle Choi, Marian Hahn and Austin Hartman. The Fischoff competition was founded in 1973 by Joseph E. Fischoff and members of the South Bend (Ind.) Chamber Music Society. You might also like:

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Parenting a Gifted Child: the Value and Beauty of Letting Go

Mon, 11 May 2026 17:23:55 GMT

By Amy Beth Horman: If you are the mother of a young artist, you might remember a moment in time when they were very young when you realized they were connected to music in an unusually beautiful way. You caught that moment, and it stopped you in your tracks. In an instant, it became a snapshot in time, that moment when "you just knew."

As a child grows and develops alongside their love of music, things slowly but surely become more complicated. With ambition comes the desire to grow technique, and that brings the presence of teachers, studios or music programs. Add auditions, competitions, and youth orchestra and eventually you have the highly-scheduled, arduous life of a young musician. Perhaps looking back on that first moment when you caught a glimpse of their musical gifts becomes a source of comfort; a necessary lean back into nostalgia where you can remember your "why." And of course there are many triumphs, large and small, that easily remind us of why we began this journey. But lately as the parent of a teen musician, I think the more interesting moments that define how music might continue in my child's life contain the act of releasing or letting go. For many studio parents, our end goals include releasing a child from our watchful eyes and ears in practice, from the ardent note taking in lessons, and maybe even later - from the constant loop of feedback from auditions and competitions. Eventually, we wish for them to fly solo and be their own motivator, scheduling strategist, and thoughtful critic so that they develop a curiosity for their own potential and trajectory. I have three stories about my own child, Ava, that I like to share with studio families who are in what I call the messy middle of studio parenting. This is the stage where you still are needed, but not always desired in lessons and practice. It feels messy because it is a continuous loop of effort from studio parents who can feel weary at times. It often hits right as the child enters adolescence and craves their freedom. They want to take the reins and be released, but they have not quite developed the ability or awareness to practice effectively. Balancing their needs at this stage of child development alongside their continuing needs in the practice room - building awareness, time management, and self regulation - can feel like a puzzle. As Ava grew, a few poignant things happened involving release that changed our relationship forever. I�m sharing them this Mother�s Day as a tribute to studio parents, with the hope of shedding some light on the value and beauty of letting go. When Ava was seven, she entered her first competition at the request of her teacher. She played Mozart Concerto No. 2. There was no age limit, so we found ourselves shocked when she was admitted into the finals with teenagers playing large showpieces at an incredibly high level. Ava was always a determined child, and she was set on playing solo with orchestra. She understood that competitions were one route toward that destination. We sat in the hall and listened to the other finalists. The violinist before Ava was playing Ravel�s Tzigane, and Ava was transfixed. I sat beside her and wondered what her thoughts were, especially since she was to perform directly following this amazing player. Instinctively as her Mom, I reached for her hand to reassure her. She held it for only a second and then shook it off quickly, hyper focused. The message I received - in amazement - was something along the lines of, "If I am going to perform this well, I will need you to let go." And so I did. And she soared that day. She didn't win that competition, but she won in our hearts. To our delight, the orchestra called on her a few months later to play with them for an educational event, and Ava�s greatest wish came true. Fast forward a few years�Ava is now eleven. On the heels of the pandemic, between lockdowns, San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) notified us that Hilary Hahn was coming to teach a very private master class for the students. It would be on Mother�s Day! To our surprise, Ava was nominated and selected. Up until this point, she had never been selected for a master class at SFCM - and she had started pre-college there at age seven. So this was a big moment for her. She was beyond excited to meet Hilary Hahn and play for her. And what a wonderful Mother�s Day it would be! As the details were handed out to us, we gradually understood that Hahn had requested safety protocols that were understandably very strict. Only students would be permitted into the class. I told Ava, and she paused and considered what this meant. She realized she would be without family support or her teacher in this case. Up until this point, I had been with her for every audition, lesson and performance. This would be different. She nodded and responded that she was glad she knew in advance. She would be fine. We talked about it in stages as the date got closer. She was strong and prepared, and she knew she would be going it alone. I was so proud of her. She had fully embraced the challenge, and she felt ready. On the day of the event, I received a cryptic message from the administrator at the conservatory, stating they had a surprise for us that they would reveal during warm up. After warm up, they walked us to the hall downstairs where they told us that attendance was still restricted, but parents were now allowed! We were already outside the hall. The administrator was giddy relaying this to us, as she clearly saw this as very good news for me. But I saw a flash of panic on Ava�s face. She was ready to do this solo. I glanced at the pianist�s face and he knew my thoughts immediately. I took a deep breath and asked her, "How do you think you can do your absolute best? With or without me?" She shook her head and said, "No, no you should come with me. It�s Mother�s Day!" I smiled at her and said, "I only want you to think of yourself right now... how will you do best? You were ready to go in alone. Maybe we should stay on course? Is that better?" I saw the relief hit her face and just hugged her and told her how amazing she would be. I then sat outside the hall unable to hear or see and also without internet to watch the livestream. It was a period of time I will never forget. Quiet, alone, proud, and sure of this being the right decision�There was a room a few floors up from the hall that was designated for parents to watch livestream with internet available but all I could think was that she was in that hall and what if she needed me? What if a string broke or she forgot something? I forfeited the upstairs parent room and I sat there nervous but steady. And she did great. We were both so proud of ourselves that day. It was a palpable feeling all around. We just kept smiling at one another all afternoon. Fast forward again a few years later, Ava is now 13 and it is the week before playing her first full concerto. I had been more active in practice, realizing the enormity of Prokofiev Concerto No. 2. Her teacher Simon James was also giving lessons to Ava at SFCM without me present at this point. He and Ava had become the dynamic duo while I enjoyed a solo coffee every week. As a homeschooling Mom, I found myself loving that time alone and realized that I needed it. I voluntarily had removed myself from lessons after the Hahn class, realizing the power of release� Simon updated me dutifully after their lessons when he thought I could help in practice. I was still partnering well with Ava in practice, and we were doing our absolute best. Keep in mind, absolute best with teenagers in a heated practice still has its messy edges! Building awareness sparks frustration. Running through the Prokofiev every day will wear anyone down. Through it all though, I was proud of us. One night before her evening practice, she asked if I could step in. This surprised me. Usually Ava reveled in her alone practice time at night. To this day, she is such a night owl. I responded, "Sure thing! Is everything ok?" She smiled at me realizing my concern and said, "Yes." "Everything is fine. I just would rather you be there," she said. Then I saw her eyes flicker and she hesitated a bit. So I said, "Do you need help with anything in particular?" And she said, "No, no ...and please don't get mad. But would you be able to just sit over there without speaking? I just think I will do better with you there." This was such a defining moment for us. She didn't want my help. She just wanted me with her. That alone had a distinct value to her. Enough that she asked specifically for it. And that night I watched and listened quietly to her practice thoughtfully through that treacherous last movement of Prokofiev Concerto No. 2, remaining curious, strategic, aware, and brave. So this is my goal now. To preserve our relationship and connection, so that the act of me just being there is valuable to her. Not giving comments or feedback or reminders. Just sitting quietly. There will always be practices ahead where I get to join in, but the underlying beautiful feeling is - she�s got this. You might also like:

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V.com weekend vote: Does/Did your mother play a musical instrument?

Sat, 09 May 2026 23:24:08 GMT

By Laurie Niles: Happy Mother's Day! I thought it would be fun to do a mother-related vote, and so here it goes: Does/Did your mother play a musical instrument?

My mother had taken piano lessons as a child but it wasn't something she pursued beyond that. She was supportive of me, her oddly musical daughter! My own children occasionally tease me about the soundtrack of their childhood: constant violin music, between my playing and teaching. Did your mother play an instrument? And if so, what instrument(s) did she play? If she didn't play an instrument, was she still musical? Did she sing? Please participate in the vote, and then tell us about it! You might also like:

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For the Record, Op. 381: Arneis Quartet, Smith Pierce Duo

Fri, 08 May 2026 21:04:34 GMT

The Arneis Quartet.

Moving Shapes Arneis Quartet Heather Braun, violin Rose Drucker, violin Daniel Do�a, viola Agnes Kim, cello

Beethoven: Complete Sonatas Smith Pierce Duo Andrew Smith, violin Joshua Pierce, piano

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Salt Lake City's 'Gifted Music School' Renamed the 'Peterson School of Music'

Thu, 07 May 2026 18:12:18 GMT

By Laurie Niles: The Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City has a new name: it now will be known as the Diana and Joel Peterson School of Music.

The Gifted School is now the Diana and Joel Peterson School of Music. Executive Director, Dr. LeeAnn Morgan (left) and Board Chairman Diana Peterson (right) stand with the new sign.

Founded in 2009 by violinist Eugene Watanabe and pianist Dr. Vera Oussetskaia-Watanabe, a married team, the school's aim has always been to provide the gift of a music education for as many children as possible. Now in its 17th year, the newly renamed Peterson School of Music has grown serve more than 800 students, establishing a national reputation for excellence in music education while also providing accessibility for students of all backgrounds.

Eugene and Vera Watanabe, founders of the Gifted Music School, now the Peterman School of Music, in Salt Lake City.

The school has a range of offerings: its full-scholarship Conservatory Program is its top-level program, admitting students ages 8-18 by audition only and preparing them for further study at top music schools around the country, with the aim of a professional career in music. Its Academy Program offers individual and group lessons in instrumental music, voice, composition and music theory to students of all ages. Its Suzuki program offers Suzuki lessons in violin, viola, cello, and bass. And its GRIT program provides high-level music education at no cost to nearly 500 students in Title I schools in the Salt Lake City School District. The new name honors the school's current board chairman, Diana Peterson, and her late husband Joel Peterson.

Joel and Diana Peterson.

"Diana has been a visionary and a steadfast core of the leadership team at the school since the early years," said founder Eugene Watanabe. "She and her late husband, Joel, have been a supporter at the Gifted Music School since the founding of the school and actively helped steer the school towards accessibility, sustainability, and excellence. In the renaming of the school, the institution and community at large are able to fully recognize their unrelenting hard work and unwavering belief and commitment to the power of music education in shaping the future of our country and world." The renaming also marks the beginning of a capital endowment campaign to secure all the vital programs and scholarships at the institution. The Peterson School of Music currently is led by Executive Director, Dr. LeeAnn Morgan, who has spearheaded, among many things, the renaming, facility renovations, development efforts, and the stewardship of a 55-member faculty. Eugene Watanabe continues to serve as Artistic Director and Violin Department Chair, where his studio is supported by the Starling Foundation.

The Gifted School of Music's 2025 Pathways concert, led by Eugene Watanabe.

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