Every summer, 20-something musicians head off to courses around the world to hone their skills and have a lot of fun. Why aren’t these opportunities available to us oldies? There’s not much I envy young people today, especially those who have chosen music as their life’s work. It’s a tough existence, demanding resilience and drive, and more self-criticism and consistency than most civilians can muster. There’s just one thing, and I always feel the pinprick at this time of yea

How much can a trip to the loo reveal about arts organisations? You can learn a lot about an arts organisation from its ladies’ toilets. I developed this theory during my visit to the Ravinia Festival last weekend to report for BBC Music Magazine on the opening of the newly renovated Hunter Pavilion there. Good toilets are evidence of organisational thinking and problem solving. How big is the queue at interval? How efficient is the flow of people in and out? What are the erg

The contemporary music champion explains the thrill and practicalities of working with living composers, what she learnt from Miles Davis, and why new music should never feel comfortable Photo: Tom Zimberoff Leila Josefowicz is undoubtedly one of the most interesting violinists of our time. Eschewing her early prodigy status and the usual trajectory of performing the same few concertos around the world, she turned to commissioning and performing new music, finding energy and

I’ve been lucky to interview some magnificent musicians over the last year for various media – mainly for BBC Music magazine, The Strad, BBC Proms print programmes and as part of my work at Maestro Arts . Here are a few of the great things they had to say… An AI interpretation of what my interviews look like. In reality most of them are on Zoom these days! Itzhak Perlman on today’s players ( The Strad and Elbow Music ) ‘When you think about the great violinists, from say 193

REVIEW From Bach to Radiohead: virtuoso mandolinist Chris Thile’s Queen Elizabeth Hall concert offered joy and humour as well as tears and shared meaning I’m still thinking about Chris Thile’s concert last night at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and even having the occasional flashback. Who would think that a solo mandolin player could hold the audience of the London Jazz Festival pin-drop quiet with an entire Bach sonata (apart from the odd ripple of laughter – proving that classical

INTERVIEW I had the chance to fangirl/interview my childhood violin hero Itzhak Perlman, and to ask him about his inimitable sound I’ve interviewed Itzhak Perlman for the cover of November’s Strad magazine . I’ll say that again for 15-year-old me, trying not to shout: I interviewed Itzhak Perlman for the cover of this month’s Strad magazine! Yes, the awkward, odd teenager who was obsessed with Perlman and Thomas Hardy rather than Duran Duran and makeup, and practically wore o

INTERVIEW As Lisa Batiashvili opens the BBC Proms season tonight with Sibelius, she explains how musicians need to cultivate a rich inner...

PREVIEW In my new interview with Nicola Benedetti for the BBC Music Magazine August issue she explained how being a violinist prepared...

The legendary pianist, who died on Tuesday, was typically insightful and frank about fashions in string playing Photo: Regina Schmeken...

The death of renowned violin expert Charles Beare raises questions about how we can know what we know about instruments in the age of...

LIBRARY NOTES On the 150th birthday of the legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler, I delve into the archives for some first-person memories...

Rachel Barton Pine has one of the most eclectic, unconventional and interesting careers of all violinists – whether playing thrash-metal...

My interview with Vilde Frang for the cover of the November issue of BBC Music Magazine has just come out, as she releases her...

Two weeks of music, sun, wine and good company in France? Yes, please! Summer festivals are one of the perks of being a classical...

INTERVIEW Making mistakes, giving everything and leaving ego at the door: concertmaster Andrej Power offers his insights into the skills...

ARCHIVE On what would have been the 100th birthday of the legendary cellist János Starker, I revisit the interviews he gave me – and some...

Edward Dusinberre describes the benefits of ageing, offers advice to students about how to find their own sound and explains why talking...

Behind Heifetz’s crooked smile; Gould’s Last Resort practice technique; Auer on truth and beauty; Leopold Mozart pits orchestral players...

OPINION: Far from its reputation as exclusive, classical music is often itself excluded from mainstream culture. As more young people...

A week in the magical musical bubble of St Endellion’s Easter Festival offered a hopeful vision of grass-roots classical music in the UK...