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Gateways' Alex Laing at ASTA/SAA 2026: Inviting a Better Future Through Practice
How Do You Get to the Future? Practice, Practice, Practice!
This is an idea that Alex Laing explored in his opening keynote address to the thousands of teachers, students and string industry professionals gathered for the 2026 joint conference of the American String Teachers Association and the Suzuki Association of the Americas last week at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
After 22 years as Principal Clarinet of the Phoenix Symphony, Laing has served since 2024 as President and Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival. Gateways, founded in 1993, connects and supports professional classical musicians of African descent through festivals, residencies, ensembles, broadcasts, and education initiatives.
When Laing was about 11 years old, his clarinet teacher did something that changed his life. He took his mother aside and told her "that I had something special, that if I worked, maybe I could do this professionally."
"He believed something about me that I hadn't yet earned," Laing said. And it changed his life.
And isn't that what practice is, after all? If you boil it down, practice the ability to see a future that isn't here yet, but that is possible. And when you can see that future, then you can work toward it.
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The Week in Reviews, Op. 538: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christian Tetzlaff, Leonidas Kavakos
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. Click on the highlighted links to read the entire reviews.
Anne-Sophie Mutter performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Karina Canellakis.
- Bach Track: "Mutter asserted complete artistic authority, embodying every hallmark of leadership: commanding stage presence, unshakeable poise and a tonal identity instantly recognisable. Her approach was steeped in a grand tradition, with generous vibrato, a consistently warm and rounded sound, her phrasing less concerned with razor-sharp contour than with saturated lyricism."
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Composer Kian Ravaei’s Cross-Cultural 'Four Seasons of Hamadan'
When division seems our new, unhappy normal, New York-based composer Kian Ravaei comes along and creates just the opposite – 23 stunning minutes of literal and metaphorical harmony.
Ravaei’s latest creation – The Four Seasons of Hamadan – intertwines Persian and Jewish folkloric traditions. With the unique combination of solo violin and dancer, beautifully choreographed by Annie Kahane, we have an opportunity to experience the aural and physical nature of these iconic melodies.
Conceived in partnership with Kahane, this Four Seasons takes fragments from the two friends’ Persian and Jewish heritages as they "got curious" about each other’s culture. "Annie and I sought to not only highlight our individual cultures,” said Ravaei, "but tried to create something that intertwines them – shared connections to the earth."
According to Ravaei, "Hamadan is a city in present-day Iran, which is thought to be the burial place of Esther and Mordecai from the Hebrew Bible."
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Longtime Heifetz Institute Director Benjamin Roe Announces Retirement
Heifetz International Music Institute President and CEO Benjamin K. Roe announced today that he will retire this fall after leading the organization for 12 years.
He will conclude his tenure following the Heifetz Institute’s 30th Anniversary season and will assume the title of President Emeritus, continuing to advance the Institute’s mission, support strategic initiatives, and help ensure a thoughtful and seamless transition to new leadership.
Headquartered in Staunton, Va., the Heifetz International Music Institute is a training program for exceptional young string players, featuring a summer festival and year-round concerts. The program is named after its founder, the violinist and pedagogue Daniel Heifetz, who started it in 1996 with just 20 students and a bold idea: that students should learn performance and communication skills alongside the technical skills they learn on their instruments. By now, the program has expanded greatly and more than 2,200 "Heifetz alumni" perform on international stages, serve on leading conservatory faculties and lead the industry as musical entrepreneurs.
Roe joined the organization in 2014, guiding the Institute through a remarkable era of expansion and innovation in close partnership with founder Daniel Heifetz and Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen. Keep reading...
