MEET THE PROS

Polish-born American violinist Isaac Stern died on this day in 2001 – aged 81. He is remembered as one of the finest violinists for the...

Tchaikovsky's violin showpiece, Valse-Scherzo Op. 34 premiered on this day in 1878 – 140 years ago. The first performance was given by Polish violin virtuoso, Stanislaw Barcewicz. The Valse-Scherzo is...

Canadian violin virtuoso Kathleen Parlow was born on this day in 1890. Ms Parlow is remembered as one of the eminent female soloists of the...

Spanish violinist and composer Pablo de Sarasate died on this day in 1908, from chronic bronchitis - aged 64. Remembered as one of the eminent...

German conductor Kurt Sanderling was born on this day in 1912. Dying in 2011, Maestro Sanderling served principal conducting positions with the Moscow Radio...

Today is Korean violin virtuoso VC Young Artist SooBeen Lee’s 19th birthday. Praised for her eloquent music making, maturity and effortless virtuosity, SooBeen is a former...

Italian luthier Giovanni Battista Guadagnini died on this day in 1786. Guadagnini is widely regarded as one of the finest string instrument craftsmen of all...

In a VC-exclusive guest blog, celebrated French baroque violinist Amandine Beyer shares her thoughts on the pros and cons of performing on gut violin...

French violinist Rene-Charles 'Zino' Francescatti died on this day in 1991 – aged 89. Maestro Francescatti is remembered as one of the finest violin virtuosi...

American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas died on this day in 1977. She is remembered as one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of...

The Violin Channel recently caught up 2019 Johannes Brahms International Violin Brahms Competition 1st prize winner, 25-year-old Simon Wiener from Switzerland. A student of Ilya Gringolts at...

Today is Norwegian violin virtuoso and pedagogue Ole Bøhn's 74th birthday! A student of Louise Behrend, Ernst Glaser, Henry Holst and Max Rostal, Professor Bohn...

Hungarian violin virtuoso and composer Jenő Hubay was born in 1858. He is remembered as one of the most influential violin pedagogues of all time...

Today is VC Young Artist Moné Hattori’s 20th birthday! A student of Zakhar Bron at the Bron Academy, Moné is a former 1st prize winner...

French violinist Christian Ferras died on this day in 1982 – aged just 49. A student of Charles Bistesi and George Enescu, he is remembered a one...

The Violin Channel recently caught up with the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition joint-1st prize winning ensemble, the Colburn School-based Viano String Quartet. Comprising violinists Hao Zhou and Lucy...

German virtuoso pianist and composer Clara Schumann was born in this day in 1819. The wife of composer Robert Schumann, she is remembered as one...

Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg was born on this day in 1874. Dying in 1951, Schoenberg is credited with pioneering the 12-tone technique – one of the major...

Today is Russian conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov’s 75th birthday. A student of Yuri Yankelevich, Maestro Spivakov is a former prize winner at the Paganini, Montreal...

Austrian-born American conductor Erich Leinsdorf died on this day in 1993 – aged 81. Maestro Leinsdorf served distinguished conducting positions with The Metropolitan Opera, The Cleveland Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, New York...

Legendary German-Bohemian music critic Eduard Hanslick was born on this day in 1825. Notoriously conservative, he was an outspoken opponent of the works of both...

Today is Romanian-born violinist and respected pedagogue Mihaela Martin's 60th birthday! A student of Stefan Gheorghiu, Mihaela is a former major prize winner at the...

Today is American violinist, VC Young Artist Simone Porter’s 23rd birthday! A student of Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School, Simone is a recent recipient of a...

The Violin Channel recently caught up with the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition joint-1st prize winning ensemble, the London-based Marmen String Quartet. Comprising violinists...

“If you could only play 3 pieces for the rest of your life, what would they be?” The Violin Channel recently caught up with 30+ of...

Today is Romanian-born Israeli violinist and pedagogue Miriam Fried's 73rd birthday! A protege of Josef Gingold and Ivan Galamian, Ms Fried is a former 1st prize...

In a VC-exclusive guest blog, Danish String Quartet cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin shares his thoughts on the ensemble's favourite non-traditional venues to perform in...

The Violin Channel recently caught up 2019 Tibor Varga International Violin Competition 1st prize winner, 22-year-old Anna Agafia Egholm from Denmark. A graduate of the Haute Ecole...

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák was born on this day in 1841. Remembered as arguably one of the most versatile composers of all time, Dvořák's signature works include...

German composer Richard Strauss died on this day in 1949 – aged 85. Strauss’ signature works include operas Der Rosenkavalier and Salome and orchestral masterworks Death and Transfiguration, Till Eulenspiegel’s...

Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti died on this day in 2007. Maestro Pavarotti is remembered as one of the finest tenors of all time. He passed away...

Today is Taiwanese-American violinist, VC Artist Paul Huang’s 29th birthday! A graduate of The Juilliard School, Paul is a former 1st prize winner at the Sion Valais...

American composer, music theorist, writer and artist John Cage was born on this day in 1912. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music and non-standard use...

Hungarian-British conductor Sir Georg Solti died on this day in 1997 – aged 84. Widely respected as one of the finest conductors of all time,...

Hungarian violin virtuoso Joseph Szigeti was born on this day in 1892. A strong advocate of new music, he was the dedicatee of a number...

Today is French violin virtuoso Patrice Fontanarosa’s 77th birthday! A former prize winner at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competition, he served as Concertmaster of the Orchestre...

Today is German-American violinist David Garrett’s 39th birthday! A protégé of Ida Haendel and Itzhak Perlman, David, at the age of 13, became the youngest artist in history to...

Hungarian violinist and conductor Tibor Varga died on this day in 2003 – aged 82. A student of Carl Flesch and Jeno Hubay, Maestro Varga is remembered as one of...

Italian Baroque composer and violinist Pietro Locatelli was born on this day in 1695. A student of Arcangelo Corelli, Locatelli's sizeable contribution to the violin repertoire includes...

Today is French cellist Gautier Capuçon's 38th birthday! A protégé of Annie Cochet-Zakine, Philippe Muller and Heinrich Schiff, Gautier today performs regularly as a soloist with...

Czech conductor and violinist Václav Neumann died on this day in 1995. He held principal conducting positions with the Komische Oper Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and...

Today is Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa’s 84th birthday! One of the greatest conductors of the past Century, Maestro Ozawa has served principal conducting positions with...

French violinist and pedagogue Jacques Thibaud died on this day in 1953, in a plane crash – aged 73. The dedicatee of Ysaye’s 2nd Solo Sonata, his famed...

Today is Belgian-Russian violin virtuoso Vadim Repin’s 48th birthday! A protégé of Zakhar Bron, he is a former 1st prize winner at the Wienaiwski and Queen Elisabeth International Violin...

Today is Israeli-American violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman’s 74th birthday! A protégé of Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay, Mr Perlman is widely regarded as one the greatest violinists of the...

Today is Armenian-American violist Kim Kashkashian’s birthday! A student of Karen Tuttle, Ms Kashkashian is a former prize winner at the Lionel Tertis and ARD International Viola Competitions. She currently...

Today is VC Artist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky’s 34th birthday! A graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, Nikita is a former...

Internationally acclaimed Hungarian conductor István Kertész was born on this day in 1929. Remembered as one of the finest conductors of the 20th Century, he served conducting...

Austrian conductor Karl Böhm was born on this day in 1894. Dying in 1981, Maestro Bohm is remembered as one of the greatest symphonic and...

French violinist, composer and pedagogue Jacques Mazas died on this day in 1849. A student of Pierre Baillot, Mazas is remembered in history for his technique-building studies, etudes...