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    Thomas Demenga: ‘Sometimes I think we’re producing too many musicians at conservatoires’
    Ariane Todes

    Thomas 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...
    What do actors and musicians have in common?
    Ariane Todes

    What 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...
    How to be present
    Ariane Todes

    How to be present

    Great stage actors have an aura of positive energy and openness that musicians can access, too. Acting coach Patsy Rodenburg tells Ariane...
    John Woolrich: ‘Contemporary music is no different from Brahms’
    Ariane Todes

    John 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...
    No prize given at Fournier Award
    Ariane Todes

    No prize given at Fournier Award

    The jury of the Pierre Fournier Award hands out no main prize but two Incentive Grants in the prestigious cello contest at Wigmore Hall...
    The curse of perfection
    Ariane Todes

    The curse of perfection

    Perfectionism in music is a modern scourge, and Peter Cropper, who died in May, demonstrated that it is a distracting priority for...
    Violin Utopia in Oberlin
    Ariane Todes

    Violin Utopia in Oberlin

    As some of the world's finest violin makers gather in the small university town of Oberlin, Ohio, to share their knowledge at the annual...
    The art of listening
    Ariane Todes

    The art of listening

    The best musicians have special powers of listening, as pianist András Schiff demonstrated in a masterclass last week How can you tell if...
    Barry Douglas on the pressures and benefits of competitions
    Ariane Todes

    Barry Douglas on the pressures and benefits of competitions

    As the Tchaikovsky Competition kicks off, we revisit a 2014 interview with the great Irish pianist Barry Douglas, who won the contest in...
    The Fiddler of Dooney
    Ariane Todes

    The Fiddler of Dooney

    W.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...
    Let’s show modern instruments some #love
    Ariane Todes

    Let’s show modern instruments some #love

    The Elbow Music social media campaign puts modern instruments in the spotlight My recent article about Frank Peter Zimmermann’s dilemma...
    Thomas Hardy and the violin
    Ariane Todes

    Thomas Hardy and the violin

    The 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....
    Never too old to learn
    Ariane Todes

    Never too old to learn

    How 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...
    Peter Cropper and the art of story telling
    Ariane Todes

    Peter Cropper and the art of story telling

    The great violinist, former leader of the Lindsay Quartet, and one of the unique and most charismatic voices in chamber music, died on...
    Baffling results in Brussels
    Ariane Todes

    Baffling results in Brussels

    Jury places audience favourite in fifth place at Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Belgium Music competitions get a lot of bad press...
    Brave new violin world
    Ariane Todes

    Brave new violin world

    A new collection of specially commissioned unantiqued instruments offers hope of a new Zeitgeist around modern violins. Will top soloists...
    Happy Birthday, David Byrne!
    Ariane Todes

    Happy 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....
    Gergiev looks to Asia for string talent
    Ariane Todes

    Gergiev looks to Asia for string talent

    Valery Gergiev was optimistic about the rise of Asian musicians but sounded a note of caution about the pressure on young competition...
    Why you should stop practising
    Ariane Todes

    Why you should stop practising

    Observing masterclasses can be a brilliant way to learn and find inspiration, and yet students rarely turn up to watch. They may be too...
    Is your violin wild, juicy, lingering or tart?
    Ariane Todes

    Is your violin wild, juicy, lingering or tart?

    Coffee experts and barristas have a whole language for describing their craft. Can it help violin makers? I visited the London Coffee...
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