The Strad Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Our guest in this episode is none other than our September 2024 cover star, Ray Chen. If you’re one of his many followers on social media, you’ll know that the violinist has his own community-based practice app, Tonic, which aims to make practising a little less lonely and more collaborative.

In this episode, Ray and online editor Davina chat about how to get the most out of your practice, including Ray’s previous experiences practising when he was younger, managing your time and psychology, as well as why we shouldn’t neglect practising performance.

Read Ray's cover feature here!

Stay tuned for our next episode: how to teach collaborative skills with violinist Annie Fullard

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Tears of the Kingdom – The Legend of Zelda

Player 1

Ray Chen, violin / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Cristian Mǎcelaru, conductor

Decca Classics

Photo courtesy Meredith Truax

Julia Reddy is the host of the Violin Class Podcast and teaches a studio comprising solely of adult learners. She and online editor Davina had a chat about how adult students can be proactive and design their own musical curriculum beyond the practice room - a completely different game from teaching children. What are your favourite ways to enrich your musical education?

Find Julia's Violin Class podcast: https://www.violinclass.co/podcast

Recommended listening:

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Rachel Cooper is a violin teacher who was recently awarded the Emerging Artist Award given by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the 2023 Women in Classical Music Symposium. She’s a Suzuki teacher, a violin and chamber music coach at Junior Guildhall and works for Nicola Benedetti’s education initiative, the Benedetti Foundation. As part of her award and her continuing professional development, Rachel is planning to put her teaching approaches into a book, to help inspire music teachers to inject a little bit of magic into their lessons.

What’s so distinctive about Rachel’s teaching? Rachel speaks to online editor Davina about the concept of ‘3D learning’ and creative teaching – emphasising an all-round approach to music, including how something feels and sounds – not just how something looks – to embed information in a way that students understand and ultimately unlock students’ progress. She speaks about how tailoring her teaching methods to students gives you skills to become a better and more effective teacher. 

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Visit Rachel’s website: https://rachelcooperviolin.com/

Photo credit: The Shannons Photography

Violinist Mahaliah Edwards spoke to online editor Davina recently about her approaches to teaching students in a wide range of scenarios, which call for actively involving pupils in music making and learning, and with Mahaliah taking on the role of ‘being the teacher that she would’ve like to have had.’ Perhaps you’re a string teacher interested in hearing some ways to inject inspiration into lessons, particularly after a holiday break, or when students seem to become disinterested – Mahaliah shares her ideas behind music lessons with a broad perspective, and how teachers can also learn from their pupils.

Visit Mahaliah's website: mahaliaedwards.com

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Photo credit: Olivia Davy-Hoffman

The city of Cremona is revered as being the historical birthplace and home of the violin and violin making, with luthiers today still emulating the models of Stradivari, Guarneri and the like. But what about the makers in nearby Brescia? Despite being geographically close, the city of Brescia has a remarkably different story, producing instruments and makers with their own distinct style.

Here to shine a light on Brescian instrument making is Sydney-based luthier Linda Lespets, who puts into historical context what life was like for makers such as da Salo, Maggini and Rogeri and what influenced the choices they made when making their instruments.

Linda is the host of The Violin Chronicles podcast - check it out here.

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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The topic of adult beginners and adult learners is one that resonates with many readers of The Strad. Here to chat with online editor Davina about the mindset of adult students is violinist and teacher Rachael Ridge, who has written extensively on the subject for thestrad.com. She’s the founder of the Adult Violin Academy and speaks about her experience teaching adults – particularly as adults will approach learning an instrument very differently from a child.

She speaks about the importance of growth and progression, having a community, not being afraid to make mistakes and to take risks, as well as other factors, that will help adult learners on their musical journey. 

Find out more about Rachael here and her Adult Violin Academy Facebook group here.

Check out some of Rachael's blogs below.

The dark side of being an adult violin beginner: Rachael Ridge

10 tips on how to stay motivated as an adult beginner violin student

What are your experiences and challenges as an adult learner? Let us know at thestrad@thestrad.com

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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This year, cellist Laurence Lesser celebrates his 85th birthday, as well as 50 years at the New England Conservatory, where he is president emeritus. His numerous students appear in concert halls, orchestras, teaching studios and more around the world. He speaks to online editor Davina about his teaching methods and approaches, including the ‘what, why and how’ of cello playing, plus how teaching has informed his playing throughout the years.

The New England Conservatory will celebrate Larry’s 85th Birthday and 50 Years at the Conservatory with a concert at Jordan Hall on 13 November at 7:30pm with pianist Minsoo Sohn. From October to May, Larry will also be curating First Mondays at Jordan Hall, a concert series featuring musical friends and NEC alumni. Each concert is free and open to the public with online RSVP. Find out more here: https://necmusic.edu/concerts

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Bloch - Schelomo (Solomon), Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra

Laurence Lesser, cello / NEC Philharmonia / Hugh Wolff, music director and conductor

Fauré  - Après un rêve

Laurence Lesser, cello / HaeSun Paik, piano

Photo credit: Carlin Ma

Hailing from a family of viola players are Dana and Mikhail Zemtsov. Ahead of the release of their album Fathers and Daughters, the Zemtsovs spoke with me about being part of a viola dynasty. How did this collective of violists come about? What makes a typical violist? The duo share how the family is united by instrument, as well as painting a picture of life home in a viola household, plus what it’s like to work professionally with your family members

The Zemtsovs's Fathers and Daughters album with pianists Anna Federova and Borys Federov will be out on 3 November 2023 on Channel Classics. Find out more here: https://lnk.to/fathersdaughters

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Cielito Lindo (arr. Dana Zemtzov)

Dana Zemtsov, Mikhail Zemtzov, violas

Fathers and Daughters

Channel Classics

Recent visitors to thestrad.com may have noticed a video that premiered called Racing Horses, featuring a spirited performance from the cello and piano Cheng2 Duo, comprising siblings Bryan Cheng on cello and Silvie Cheng on piano. Racing Horses features on their upcoming album Portrait, which contains works by composers of Asian heritage, as well as two arrangements of Chinese folk songs, Racing Horses being one of them.

In an international operation that involved Bryan in Romania and Silvie in New York, both siblings joined online editor Davina for a conversation recently about the choices behind their album’s programming, how music can be used to celebrate heritage, diversity and representation, as well as doing justice to traditional Chinese instruments on the cello and piano. Plus, the two share details of what music-making was like during their childhood in Canada.

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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Racing Horses/Sai Ma (赛马) by Huang Haihuai

Cheng2 Duo

Bryan Cheng, cello / Silvie Cheng, piano

Portrait

Centrediscs

Photo credit: Andrej Grilc

Playing as a principal player in a string section of an orchestra certainly has its challenges – but how do you learn how to lead a section? There’s plenty of tuition on audition preparation and orchestral repertoire for students – but it's unlikely many string players attend a class called ‘Leading 101’ while at college! It’s certainly a job that comes with gained experience and feedback. Here to share his learning experiences of leading a section is violist Daniel Foster. Daniel joined the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC in 1993 and was appointed to principal viola in 1995 – sitting next to his father who was associate principal! As he reaches an important milestone of 30 years with the NSO, he shares his approach and philosophy on leading a string section.

Check out thestrad.com for the latest news, articles and reviews on all things to do with string playing. Register and subscribe to access exclusive archival content from 2010 onwards.

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