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The 2021 Virtual Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies begins Tuesday

June 21, 2021, 1:12 PM · On Tuesday, Juilliard's Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies begins, and though it will not be "live from New York!" I will be writing about the virtual sessions and posting here on Violinist.com.

Masterclass teachers will include violinists Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes and Giora Schmidt; with pedagogy classes by Brian Lewis and Noa Kageyama. Pamela Frank and Howard Nelson will lead a Injury Prevention Workshop, and there will be several "Key Conversations" about topics pertaining to the life of a violinist, including "Behind the Orchestral Curtain" with concertmaster David Kim; "Order in the Chamber" with violinist and educator Nicole Cherry; and "Life on the Road" with violin soloist Chee-Yun.

The event concludes on Friday, though our stories on Violinist.com will likely continue after that, so I welcome you to tune in! You can find complete coverage of past and present Starling DeLay Symposiums on this page. Keep reading...

How a Levitating Train Can Help the Bow

Paul Stein

June 21, 2021, 10:23 AM · to have many mixed messages telling the bow what to do. Gravity is certainly a part of bow technique, but so is gliding and lightly spinning the string. When one teacher says to “get into the string” and play close to the bridge, another says to let the bow breathe and to let the hairs absorb the string. The most positive thing I can say about mixed messages is that there’s a little bit of truth in each one.

A good way to unify all the messages is to create a visual image. Not only is a picture worth a thousand words, but it prevents those words from misleading us. I recently came across a type of train which describes the bow’s need to stay elevated when it changes strings. It even illustrates how lightly and effortlessly a bow travels. It’s the Maglev train, a masterpiece of engineering which doesn’t rely on wheels or traditional train engines. Keep reading...

Remembering Baroque Violinist Jeanne Lamon (1949-2021), Longtime Music Director of Tafelmusik

Laurie Niles

June 20, 2021, 11:14 PM · Musicians and Baroque music lovers around the world are remembering violinist Jeanne Lamon, whose energetic leadership helped build Toronto-based Tafelmusik into one of the world's leading Baroque ensembles during her tenure as Music Director from 1981 to 2014. Lamon, who had been recently diagnosed with cancer, died on Sunday at her home in Victoria, B.C. Canada, at age 71, according to a statement from Tafelmusik.

"Lamon’s inspired leadership, passionate dedication to artist training, and commitment to the values of collaboration, inclusion, and artistic excellence shaped Tafelmusik over the course of her remarkable 33-year tenure," the statement said. "It is no exaggeration to say that Tafelmusik would not be the organization it is today without her passionate dedication during her tenure as Music Director," said another Tafelmusik statement on Facebook. "Jeanne was an extraordinary person and we will never forget her generosity, integrity, collaborative nature, and sense of humour. Though Jeanne’s passing will leave a huge void in our hearts, we are comforted by the knowledge that her spirit will continue to vibrate through our music."

BELOW: Here some Tafelmusik performances that featured violinist and director Jeanne Lamon.

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V.com weekend vote: How does your violin/music practice and routine change during the summer?

Laurie Niles

June 19, 2021, 10:47 PM · Summer officially arrives this week, and as a violin teacher I'm seeing major changes in everyone's schedules and routines.
What are your plans this summer, and will your musical activities get a little more intense, or are you taking a break? Or perhaps your level of activity will stay about the same, but you might be doing a few different things than you would during the school year or season. Please pick the answer that best fits for you, and then tell us in the comments about your summer musical plans and goals.

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