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The Strad

W elcome to the 2025 edition of String Courses, The Strad ’s comprehensive and indispensable annual guide to international short courses, masterclasses and workshops. Whether you’re looking for orchestral tuition in Texas, folk fiddling events in Ireland or bow making in France, you’ll find something for every instrument, interest, age, ability and budget here.

From one-to-one lessons with some of the world’s greatest teachers to unique opportunities to try entirely new styles of playing and making, you’re sure to find a suitable course in these pages to give you a fresh perspective.

And if the vast number of courses on offer sets your mind reeling, we have a useful list of suggestions by theme, starting on page 4. So if you’re looking for a particular location or for a course to boost your teaching skills, we’ve done the hard work for you.

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The Strad
Contributors
HILARY FINZI (Du Pré family history, page 34)
SOUNDPOST
Letters, emails, online comments
QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED
WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO ON A
COURSES FOR PLAYERS AND TEACHERS
PLAYERS KEY Instruments vn violin va viola
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
IN MY EXPERIENCE
Player
COURSES FOR MAKERS
A student inspects an unvarnished instrument at West
EDITORIAL
Editor's letter
Jacqueline du Pré would have turned 80 on
FRONT
Too much information?
T he possibilities for violin makers afforded by 3D-printing technology are limitless, as a new exhibition in Cremona shows – but is there a danger of the knowledge being misused?
NEWS IN BRIEF
Hilary Hahn targeted in AI video impersonation scam
OBITUARIES
GYÖRGY PAUK The renowned Hungarian violinist and teacher
PREMIERE of the MONTH
Muted tones
COMPETITIONS
Left–right Siheon Ryu, Eva Brockhaus, Johann Warzecha Chaowen
APPOINTMENTS
Norwegian violist Eivind Ringstad joins the Royal College
FORTHCOMING COMPETITIONS & AWARDS
International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen in Markneukirchen, Germany,
Sound on
SOUNDPOST
SPEAK UP
Thomastik-Infeld’s new Peter Infeld cello strings were
STAY ON PITCH
D’Addario’s new rechargeable chromatic tuner is designed to
The nice and the good
Kevin MacDonald finds a wealth of interesting lots at the October sales in London, from fine old Italians to a fiddle by a Cumbrian farmer
Life lessons
The violinist on his many influences and what
LET’S KEEP IT REAL
Even with the proliferation of technology such as generative AI in the music industry, violist Toby Deller believes there will always be a strong human need to experience live performance
Hands of friendship
On the Greek island of Lesbos, the Molyvos International Music Festival offers live chamber music to a diverse international audience, as Claire Jackson discovered
FEATURES
THE LEGACY OF A LEGEND
Jacqueline du Pré at recording sessions in 1970
A LIFE OF UNIMAGINABLE POSSIBILITY
What was the source of Jacqueline du Pré’s genius? Her sister Hilary Finzi tells the story of their grandmother Maud, who overcame childhood poverty to give her own daughter Iris the chance to lead a fulfilling life in music, and how these two strong and determined women enabled an immense talent to blossom
A UNIQUE POSTER
Expert and conservator Balthazar Soulier has curated this month’s poster which, for the first time, features an ‘original composite’ violin: the ‘Paderewski, Wendling’, made by Montagnana and Guarneri ‘del Gesù’. Here he places this unique instrument in context and highlights complementary information to enable a better understanding of the poster and the violin itself
Family treasures
At the turn of the millennium, a young Scandinavian cellist discovered he had an illustrious musical forebear. Since then, a treasury of previously unperformed music has come to light. Andrew Mellor speaks to cellist Tobias van der Pals about his great-great-uncle Leopold’s legacy
A HIGHER POWER
Baroque violinist Davina Clarke speaks to Harry White about her new album, The Art of Obligato, which explores the intricate interplay between vocal and instrumental lines in Bach’s sacred cantatas
STARS OF AFRICA
Wood physicist Martina Meincken presents the results of a study investigating whether indigenous woods of southern Africa might be suitable for use as tonewood for instruments
REGULARS
GIUSEPPE CASTAGNINO
Giuseppe Castagnino was born on 4 May 1883
A new approach to bracing flat-back instruments
This system of ‘responsive bracing’ allows for the natural movement of the wood
MY SPACE
A peek into lutherie workshops around the world
Dancing with wolves
Eliminating a wolf note can be the bane of every luthier’s life. Linda Lespets passes on four methods that can help to solve the problem
MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO IN E MINOR OP.64, FIRST MOVEMENT
Although this concerto is a well-known staple of the repertoire, violinists can still find opportunities to explore refreshing interpretations in this movement, says Paul Huang
KONZERT
Let it carry
Projecting successfully on the violin
New York
THIS MONTH’S RECOMMENDED RECORDINGS Our pick of the
Philadelphia
CHOONG-JIN CHANG (VIOLA) PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA/RODERICK COX MARIAN ANDERSON
London
SOLOISTS OF THE KRONBERG ACADEMY WIGMORE HALL 13
RECORDINGS
BACH Violin Concerto BWV1042 BEETHOVEN Romances
BOOKS
Lessons in Gratitude: A Memoir on Race, The
From the ARCHIVE
FROM THE STRAD JANUARY 1895 VOL.5 NO.57 In
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
Attacca Quartet The American foursome, who met at
ANNE GASTINEL
The French cellist was captivated by Dutilleux’s 3 Strophes sur le nom de Paul Sacher from the first hearing; and it also provided an opportunity to meet the composer
START YOUR COURSE HUNTING HERE!
Before you start combing through the string courses listed in this guide, take a look at these suggestions to help find the course that’s right for you
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