Ariane TodesWe’re all misfit weirdos nowThe breadth and success of David Byrne’s recent curatorship of Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival demonstrate how the curiosity and...
Ariane TodesThomas Demenga: ‘Sometimes I think we’re producing too many musicians at conservatoires’The Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga discusses the fierce competition in today’s music world, how students should spend less time online and...
Ariane TodesWhat do actors and musicians have in common?A recent performance of the whole of Homer’s epic Iliad offered an opportunity to observe actors close up and to understand what their...
Ariane TodesHow to be presentGreat stage actors have an aura of positive energy and openness that musicians can access, too. Acting coach Patsy Rodenburg tells Ariane...
Ariane TodesJohn Woolrich: ‘Contemporary music is no different from Brahms’The British composer John Woolrich discusses the challenges contemporary music faces and the vital role of amateur musicians My interview...
Ariane TodesNo prize given at Fournier AwardThe jury of the Pierre Fournier Award hands out no main prize but two Incentive Grants in the prestigious cello contest at Wigmore Hall...
Ariane TodesThe curse of perfectionPerfectionism in music is a modern scourge, and Peter Cropper, who died in May, demonstrated that it is a distracting priority for...
Ariane TodesViolin Utopia in OberlinAs some of the world's finest violin makers gather in the small university town of Oberlin, Ohio, to share their knowledge at the annual...
Ariane TodesThe art of listeningThe best musicians have special powers of listening, as pianist András Schiff demonstrated in a masterclass last week How can you tell if...
Ariane TodesBarry Douglas on the pressures and benefits of competitionsAs the Tchaikovsky Competition kicks off, we revisit a 2014 interview with the great Irish pianist Barry Douglas, who won the contest in...
Ariane TodesThe Fiddler of DooneyW.B. Yeats was born 150 years ago, on 13 June, 1865. Here's his poem The Fiddler of Dooney, written in 1889, when he was 24, celebrating...
Ariane TodesLet’s show modern instruments some #loveThe Elbow Music social media campaign puts modern instruments in the spotlight My recent article about Frank Peter Zimmermann’s dilemma...
Ariane TodesThomas Hardy and the violinThe great British writer Thomas Hardy was born on 2 June, 1840. His father was a fiddler in the village band and he himself also played....
Ariane TodesNever too old to learnHow much can an adult amateur expect to develop as a musician in a short space of time? Quite a lot, it turns out, given the right...
Ariane TodesPeter Cropper and the art of story tellingThe great violinist, former leader of the Lindsay Quartet, and one of the unique and most charismatic voices in chamber music, died on...
Ariane TodesBaffling results in BrusselsJury places audience favourite in fifth place at Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Belgium Music competitions get a lot of bad press...
Ariane TodesBrave new violin worldA new collection of specially commissioned unantiqued instruments offers hope of a new Zeitgeist around modern violins. Will top soloists...
Ariane TodesHappy Birthday, David Byrne!David Byrne turns 63 today, and yet he still has one of the most energetic and interesting careers of any musician anywhere in the world....
Ariane TodesGergiev looks to Asia for string talentValery Gergiev was optimistic about the rise of Asian musicians but sounded a note of caution about the pressure on young competition...
Ariane TodesWhy you should stop practisingObserving masterclasses can be a brilliant way to learn and find inspiration, and yet students rarely turn up to watch. They may be too...