By Laurie Niles: Violist-violinist Yura Lee and violinist Tereza Stanislav gave a truly stunning performance of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, along with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) and Jaime Martin, Friday night at the Alex Theater in Glendale, Calif. Performing Mozart's 1779 composition that casts violin and viola as co-protagonists, here were two musicians completely in step rhythmically, harmonically and aesthetically, like Mozartian musical twins. At the same time, they brought vividly different performance personalities to stage - and I'm not just talking about their outfits ..read more

By Laurie Niles: How I wish that Suzuki teachers Carrie Salisbury and Michael McLean had been there to teach me theory, back when I was a young violin student! String educators Carrie Salisbury and Michael McLean. I was one of those violin-centric students who had no background in piano, nor did I have any theory classes or lessons before college. So once I became a music major - wow, did I have a lot of catching up to do! I had to take a class called, "Bonehead Theory" - kidding, but I had to remediate. I never felt proficient or confident in theory, despite actually being interested in it ..read more

By Laurie Niles: The Colburn School and the American Viola Society today announced the 24 violists who will compete in the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition, which will take place June 17-22 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Violists who will compete in the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition, live at the Colburn School. The 24 violists were chosen from 156 applications received during a pre-screening round that closed in January. They include musicians representing 12 countries, with participants ranging in age from 16 to 30, with an average age of 24. They include ..read more

By Laurie Niles: If you ask a group of string players, "What is your favorite violin concerto by Mozart?" a good percentage of them will completely ignore the composer's five official violin concertos and respond, "the Sinfonia Concertante!" Of course this piece is not even called a "concerto," and it's not just for violin. The Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major pairs violin and viola together, as equal partners in the spotlight. Or maybe more like conjoined twins... "It’s like each person taking one side of the ski, yet skiing together," said Yura Lee, principal violist of the Los Angeles C ..read more

By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Violinist Nathan Olson. Photo courtesy Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Nathan Olson performed Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Texas Classical Review: "As the violin soloist, DSO co-concertmaster Nathan Olson proved an effective solo protagonist, alternating between a fervent singing tone that reflects the somber mood and brisk dance gestures that try but fail to escape the angst ..read more

By Laurie Niles: Walt Disney Concert Hall's magnificent, one-of-a-kind, 6,134-pipe organ looms large at any performance in that venue, but last weekend it was truly the hero of the show. The instrument - which locals affectionately call the "French fry organ" - even received its own special round of applause. Laurie and Robert Niles at Walt Disney Concerto Hall - with its unique organ. That applause was for the "Organ Symphony" - Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor - performed Friday night by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by conductor Louis Langrée. It was one of three performan ..read more

By Laurie Niles: Do you have dreams about your violin, viola or other instrument that you play? And I mean literal dreams - do you go to sleep and night and occasionally dream that you are playing, or trying to play, or are in some music-related situation? Here is an example for you, of a cello-related dream: @classicalmusicdaily Musicians Nightmares are Unique via ???? @nick.canellakis_cellist ? original sound - Classical Music Daily I think my favorite part of this is where the pianist randomly says, "It's for Rostropovich!" I've certainly had a number of violin-related dreams over many dec ..read more

By Stephen Brivati: It is a truism to note that the Sonatas and Partitas of Bach are at the core of what being a violinist means. They in turn frustrate, inform, inspire and profoundly touch us as human beings. I can easily imagine Bach, now on the astral plane, turning to Anna and saying with a chuckle "Seht, wie ich ihre Köpfe durcheinandergebracht habe!" (My skanky version of "Hah! I messed up their heads good and proper!") This being the case, the S+Ps are used to judge violinists in all manner of situations. The first for me was back in the dark ages when I had to graduate from RCM (the ..read more

By Claire Allen: Music educators of all kinds were able to enjoy more workshops, performances, exhibits and connections than ever last month when the American String Teacher Association combined forces with the Suzuki Association of the Americas for their first ever co-located conference, which took place from March 20-23, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. But for composer Lauren Spavelko, it was a landmark event for a different reason: this conference represented the most her music has ever been performed or presented in a single event. From a National Orchestral Festival performance to reading s ..read more

By Laurie Niles: Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening! Violinist Isabelle Faust. Photo by Marco Borggreve. Benjamin Britten Violin Concerto and Chamber Works Isabelle Faust, violin Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jakub Hruša conducting Alexander Melnikov, piano Boris Faust, viola German violinist Isabelle Faust performs Benjamin Britten's 1939 Violin Concerto, in ..read more