Let’s go outside
With classical music forced out of the concert hall, one of the few positives of this year has been rediscovering it in the wild This...
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Thoughts about the classical music world
Ariane Todes
- Dec 4, 2020
Doughnuts are good for you
The Doughnut theory of economics sets out principles and practical steps towards a sustainable, just and happy world. What can classical...
Ariane Todes
- Nov 27, 2020
Thank you, Sheila Nelson
Very sad news has come through that the great violin pedagogue Sheila Nelson died on 16 November, at the age of 84. By rights, Sheila...
Ariane Todes
- Sep 24, 2020
Chaplin’s The Immigrant
Charlie Chaplin‘s 1917 film about the journey to Ellis Island is as funny and moving today as it must have been to the audiences who saw...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 11, 2020
Responsible adults
New generations of star players are committing to music education at the grass roots level with a focus that might create lasting change...
Ariane Todes
- May 21, 2020
Revolution in the air
Coronavirus has threatened the classical music world’s very existence while simultaneously showing us how much we all need it. Can the...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 18, 2020
Time to write
At a time of crisis for public musical life, performers can remain positive by practising a different way of communicating – with words. Elb
Ariane Todes
- Feb 9, 2020
How to write musicians’ biographies
Musicians' biographies are an essential and powerful part of their careers, but they are often not effective. Here are some tips from one wh
Ariane Todes
- Jan 7, 2020
Songs of Innocence and Experience
The classical music world tends to focus on its young stars, but as the recent BBC documentary on Janet Baker demonstrated, our venerable...
Ariane Todes
- Apr 26, 2019
Celebrating Chaplin
The great film maker's under-appreciated musical talents are the focus of this year's 130th anniversary celebrations I'm chuffed that I...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 28, 2019
Mad for it
As research shows that young people are coming to classical music through film and club music, here‘s an article I wrote in 2018 for ISM...
Ariane Todes
- Dec 31, 2018
New Year, new mission
I’ve long since given up New Year resolutions, in the sad certainty of their failure, and I’ve certainly never shared any publicly. But I...
Ariane Todes
- Sep 12, 2018
Primary benefits
A school in one of England’s most deprived boroughs offers proof that putting music at the heart of education offers positive outcomes...
Ariane Todes
- Sep 1, 2018
Inspired by Szigeti
Research on Joseph Szigeti for BBC Radio 3’s Record Review took me back to some old interviews I did when I was at The Strad, where he...
Ariane Todes
- Sep 1, 2018
Getting to know Szigeti
I had the very great pleasure of being on Radio 3’s Record Review this morning with Andrew McGregor (thankfully pre-recorded, as I hadn’t...
Ariane Todes
- Aug 22, 2018
Mission possible
A summer festival in Silicon Valley initiates young players into the joys and challenges of chamber music and then sends them out into...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 26, 2018
My week with Simon Rattle
In June I had the privilege of being part of BE PHIL, an international amateur orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle in Berlin. Read about...
Ariane Todes
- May 2, 2018
How to write a great press release
Musicians can generate their own publicity without spending a penny, by sending out their own press releases. Here are some of the things...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 28, 2018
Getting my fix at half past six
The London Symphony Orchestra’s early evening concert format is a welcome development in the city’s entertainment landscape, for music...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 22, 2018
17 reasons to love amateur musicians
Amateur musicians are a vital part of the classical music world, but don’t always get the recognition or opportunities they deserve or...
Ariane Todes
- Feb 9, 2018
Can string quartets save the world?
The recent Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale explored various aspects of the string quartet format, including the many life lessons it...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 15, 2018
Good content is forever
The internet offers musicians fantastic opportunities to build their reputations and legacies, as well as selling their music. They...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 3, 2018
Pictures, please!
Wigmore Hall’s new photography policy offers a sensible way forward in today’s visual culture and more venues should follow suit There...
Ariane Todes
- Nov 15, 2016
The win–win of music education
Why is music education and pedagogy not taken more seriously in the music world?
Ariane Todes
- Sep 5, 2016
Birth of a salesman
Car boot sales offer a brilliant lesson in salesmanship, and for this rookie also raised questions about buying and selling violins I’m...
Ariane Todes
- Aug 26, 2016
Review of Alexey Stadler Prom
Alexey Stadler‘s unexpected Proms debut last night was such stuff as careers are made on Performing at the Proms on a day’s notice is the...
Ariane Todes
- Aug 17, 2016
11 important musical insights
I’ve interviewed many wonderful musicians over the year, have learnt much and had my thinking challenged many times. Here are just a few...
Ariane Todes
- May 17, 2016
Review of Beethoven for a Later Age
I have a theory that musicians write in exactly the same style that they play their instruments. I’m pleased to see it proven, somewhat...
Ariane Todes
- Apr 30, 2016
Bye Bye, Bellowhead
The ground-breaking English folk band has broken up after 12 years, leaving this fangirl sad – but grateful I’m not a mosher. I don’t...
Ariane Todes
- Apr 5, 2016
20 great violinists
Who are my favourite violinists? A list of 20, which I made for Sinfini Music in 2014, still largely stands, but is sure to provoke a...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 15, 2016
When classical music marketing copy goes wrong
The current Southbank Centre slogan offers a lesson in how not to talk to about classical music There are a few obvious rules in...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 28, 2016
A musical tonic for the soul
A trip to the Musical Instrument Museum in Arizona offered profound and uplifting insights into the human condition, and interesting...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 26, 2016
Jacqueline du Pré – a terrible premonition
On what would have been the 71th birthday of Jacqueline du Pré, the words of János Starker sound a provocative warning Jacqueline du Pré...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 26, 2016
Careless talk costs lives
As Nigel Kennedy goes on Radio 4's Mastertapes programme to be rude about Baroque performance practice, here's a blog I wrote in 2011 on...
Ariane Todes
- Sep 24, 2015
We’re all misfit weirdos now
The breadth and success of David Byrne’s recent curatorship of Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival demonstrate how the curiosity and...
Ariane Todes
- Aug 16, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 23, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 22, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 14, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 13, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Jun 3, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- May 31, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- May 25, 2015
Brave new violin world
A new collection of specially commissioned unantiqued instruments offers hope of a new Zeitgeist around modern violins. Will top soloists...
Ariane Todes
- May 14, 2015
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....
Ariane Todes
- May 8, 2015
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...
Ariane Todes
- Apr 17, 2015
Wine and violins
Facebook just kindly reminded me that two years ago today I was in Sarasota, Florida, enjoying the La Musica Festival, and tasting wine –...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 26, 2015
18 ways to support musicians
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...
Ariane Todes
- Mar 12, 2015
Violin competitions: participant’s view
Violinist Benjamin Baker has just been selected for the final rounds of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition. Such contests are...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 14, 2015
9 ways to succeed in music
Today's classical music business may be competitive and tough, but there are also more opportunities than ever. Success lies in knowing...
Ariane Todes
- Jan 8, 2015
How to learn jazz violin
Jazz violinist Regina Carter, interviewed here, offers some advice on exploring the genre Transcribing ‘If it’s not your language you...