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Rory Williams Poll: 30 Percent of Musicians Do Not Invite Friends to Concerts

That was the latest figure from Violinist.com's Weekend Vote, in which 239 members had responded as of Monday, March 15. See the poll here: violinist.com/blog/weekendvote/20103/11037/
In related events, April is Take a Friend to the Orchestra month, an annual grassroots effort spearheaded by orchestra consultant Drew McManus. Check out the official Take a Friend to Orchestra website here:… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on March 15, 2010 at 12:20pm — No Comments

Solimar My Cello and Me: Our Journey



I decided to write a journal dedicated to my cello; my partner, colleague and friend: a 2005 Vermont Zachary Taylor B-Form Stradivarius model. Purchased in 2008, I decided to keep track of all the ups and downs of my new instrument adapting to… Continue

Added by Solimar on March 14, 2010 at 7:30am — No Comments

Rory Williams To Clap or Not to Clap

That's the question of every novice concertgoer. Citing a decline in the classical audience, renowned critic Alex Ross digs into the practice of silence between movements in a Guardian article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/08/classical-music-applause-rule-obama.
What do you think? Clap if you agree, or if you disagree . . . (insert sound of cricke… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on March 10, 2010 at 11:05am — No Comments

Randy Sandstrom Unhappy violin student !

Here is the story about my quest for learning to play violin,

I have started to learn to play the beloved violin which I truly love to hear on my own, I have asked for a lead on a teacher and have found several, BUT when I ask for a price quote i'm told in the range of 25 - 50 dollars per month which I think sounds fantastic, Then I open My ( big mouth ) and then say they are for an adult the

… Continue

Added by Randy Sandstrom on March 9, 2010 at 8:25pm — No Comments

eddymontreal Going Everywhere While Standing Still

I've been always curious about non-classical music for violin; not so much listening to it but actually trying to play it. This included jazz, folkloric music, Irish, gypsy, Middle-Eastern music, Klezmer, tango, etc. I've decided at some p
… Continue

Added by eddymontreal on March 2, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Greg Cahill This One Goes Out to the String Teachers (and Students, Too)

A must-read from the New York Times:


A really beautiful, heartfelt remembrance by Joanne Lipman: In East Brunswick, N.J., former students brought out their musty instruments to pay tribute to a beloved music teacher.

Click here to read this appreciation piece.


Continue

Added by Greg Cahill on March 2, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Rory Williams Strings Editors at ASTA 2010

The sheer volume of education sessions at the 2010 American String Teachers Association National Conference can, as one teacher put it, “leave your head spinning.” That’s why it’s important to catch a performance when you can to recharge your batteries, whether it be in the lobby, in an exhibitor booth, or in the hall of the National Orchestra Festival.

My day kicked off with the intriguing session the Russian Violin School: Myth or Reality, which w

… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on February 22, 2010 at 12:07pm — 1 Comment

Rory Williams Strings Editors at ASTA 2010

There's nothing better to cap the 2010 American String Teachers Association National Conference than a performance by the 2010 National Orchestra Festival Grand Champion. After all, inspiration is why teachers attend the conference. And inspiration was served in a heavy dose by the champion, the San Domenico School Orchestra Da Camera of San Anselmo, California.

Even though the Strings office and the school are nearly neighbors, this was the f

… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on February 21, 2010 at 12:01pm — No Comments

Rory Williams Strings Editors at ASTA 2010

Sleep didn’t come easy last night. Wired from pre-conference sessions at the 2010 American String Teachers Association National Conference and eager about the loads more that were lined up for the next day, I was too busy planning my schedule to count sheep.

The first official day of ASTA saw hordes of teachers running to and from sessions and panels as well as the opening of the exhibit hall, which also had a healthy turnout both from stringed-instrument-related busine

… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on February 18, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Jonathan Russell A Press Release on my Honorable Mention from ASCAP

New York City, February 18, 2010 –

Jonathan Russell, the award winning fourteen-year-old jazz violinist from the Bronx has received an Honorable Mention in the 2010 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards for his piece “Danny’s Groove”. The ASCAP Awards are presented by The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers with additional support from The Gibson Foundation and were established in 2002 to acknowledge and encourage composers younger t… Continue

Added by Jonathan Russell on February 18, 2010 at 7:07pm — No Comments

Rory Williams Strings Editors at ASTA 2010

‘How to save your orchestra program' certainly was the big topic of the evening before the 2010 American String Teachers Association National Conference, which will offer up educational sessions, master classes, concerts, and panel discussions through Saturday in Santa Clara, California.

Music-education leaders addressed a sparse crowd of hopefuls during the Advocacy Discussion Panel, and talked about ways people have saved their orchestra programs. To be fair, attendance was low becaus… Continue

Added by Rory Williams on February 18, 2010 at 10:45am — No Comments

christian howes five western cities this and next week


this was taken from one of our concerts during the 2nd annual Creative Strings Workshop, in 2006
Photo taken from one of our concerts during the 2nd annual Creative Strings Workshop, in 2006.


This and the next week prom
… Continue

Added by christian howes on February 16, 2010 at 6:00pm — No Comments

David Mendoza The Composer/Performer Path

I am lucky that these past 2 years have been good for me. I have performed at several festivals and conferences throughout the US, and meet some great people. People that have recognized my work for the contribution it makes to the larger catalog of classical music. But it has been a hard path of both composing interesting music and performing it. I was not always the best performer, but I am getting much much better. This last performance in North Carolina was my personal best. I am making up f… Continue

Added by David Mendoza on February 15, 2010 at 6:49pm — No Comments

David Mendoza Labels

I think it's important for writers/journalists who write and talk about music to be careful when labeling artists. I have had this discussion many times with fellow composers about being labeled. Of course very few artists of any find want to be labels, but the truth is that labels help us talk about music. So-and-so is a Minimalist or so-and-so is a Traditionalist, Neo-Tonal, Avant-garde, Neo-Folk whatever. Take the label Jazz or example. There are many schools and styles of Jazz and to label s… Continue

Added by David Mendoza on February 15, 2010 at 8:17am — No Comments

Nick I have several violins and bows (French, German and Italian makers) that I am considering auctioning…

I have several violins and bows (French, German and Italian makers) that I am considering auctioning off. My question to this very knowledgeable group is .....what is the best venue for greatest visibility? Internet auction vs. live auction, NY vs. Europe and string instrument focused vs. a prominent generalist? Any advice or experience you could

… Continue

Added by Nick on February 14, 2010 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Milan Vitek Remember the Litomysl International String Master Class early registration deadline Feb. 28

Hello everyone,

I'd like to remind violin, viola and cello students that they can save 200 Euro by registering early for the 15th Litomysl International String Master Class, July 25 - August 15, 2010.

Come to Litomysl, Czech Republic, the birth town of composer Smetana for one of the intensive programs anywhere. All students receive:

6 one hour individual lessons in solo repertoire

… Continue

Added by Milan Vitek on February 13, 2010 at 11:37am — No Comments

christian howes All in a Days Work

Who said gigging would slow down for me once I started spending more time in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio? Even when I'm not traveling, it can get pretty busy.


On this long day of gigging I started with a pair of rock and roll church services at the Heritage Church, followed by an hour of solo playing at an artsy event held at the local Cafe Brioso, , followed by a rehearsal and performance as soloist with the Westerville Symphony Orchestra. (Still get to pull out those classica

… Continue

Added by christian howes on February 10, 2010 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Emily Wright Turning an issue into an asset


Learning any difficult craft c… Continue

Added by Emily Wright on February 10, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Greg Cahill Bright Spots in Public Arts Funding Battle

Publicly funded city arts programs won't face cuts by the LA City Council, though savings will have to found in the budget.… Continue

Added by Greg Cahill on February 9, 2010 at 10:00pm — No Comments

David Mendoza Incantation for viola da gamba and electronics (acoustic version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_-abqTtacU Continue

Added by David Mendoza on February 8, 2010 at 8:06pm — No Comments

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