As the Tchaikovsky Competition kicks off, we revisit a 2014 interview with the great Irish pianist Barry Douglas, who won the contest in...

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...

The Elbow Music social media campaign puts modern instruments in the spotlight My recent article about Frank Peter Zimmermann’s dilemma...

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....

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...

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

Jury places audience favourite in fifth place at Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Belgium Music competitions get a lot of bad press...

A new collection of specially commissioned unantiqued instruments offers hope of a new Zeitgeist around modern violins. Will top soloists...

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....

Valery Gergiev was optimistic about the rise of Asian musicians but sounded a note of caution about the pressure on young competition...

Observing masterclasses can be a brilliant way to learn and find inspiration, and yet students rarely turn up to watch. They may be too...

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

The former Vermeer Quartet leader and Curtis Institute professor discusses the negative sides of Ilona Fehér's 'tough love' school of...

This year's BBC Proms programme offers the usual quality, but not enough quantity or range for a true string geek The 2015 BBC Proms...

Facebook just kindly reminded me that two years ago today I was in Sarasota, Florida, enjoying the La Musica Festival, and tasting wine –...

In honour of Pinchas Zukerman's performance tonight of the Elgar Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London's...

I have an article in today's Financial Times about music philanthropy, for which I spoke to some of the legion of generous souls who help...

Violinist Benjamin Baker has just been selected for the final rounds of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition. Such contests are...

As two top violinists are forced to give back the classic instruments they've been borrowing, should more performers consider modern...

How often do you leave a concert feeling as if you've experienced something special? As often as you'd like? If not, why not? My latest...