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The Strad Directory
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2025-05-12T10:39:00+01:00
The signatories include several soloists and members of leading orchestras across the US
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More than 600 American classical musicians, tutors, conductors and administrators have put their names to an open letter and petition denouncing the challenges to artistic free speech that have emerged in the first months of the second Donald Trump administration.
The signatories include violinists Margaret Batjer, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Jonathan Biss, Andrés Cárdenes, Catherine Cho, Eugene Drucker, Guillermo Figueroa, Miriam Fried, Francisco Fullana, Maria Ioudenitch, Ani Kavafian, Chin Kim, Shannon Lee, Cho-Liang Lin, Nathan Meltzer, Midori, Kurt Sassmannshaus, Gabriel Schaff, Arnold Steinhardt, Elena Urioste, Almita Vamos, Donald Weilerstein, Melissa White and Nancy Zhou; violists Misha Amory, Atar Arad, Jordan Bak and Karen Dreyfus; and cellists Natasha Brofsky, Rafael Figueroa, Ralph Kirshbaum, Wolfram Koessel and Seth Parker Woods,
Titled ‘Musicians for Democracy’, the petition begins: ‘Our passion and mission are making music and, in doing so, offering listeners the possibility of deepening their experience and understanding of the world. We are not politicians: We are working citizens who are drawn to music because of its capacity to bridge different viewpoints and cultures, and to connect us through our shared humanity.’
The letter asserts that: ‘Every single one of us knows multiple people across different sectors of American society who have lost jobs or face life-altering insecurity due to censorship or retaliatory measures over the past three months.’ At the time of writing, the petition had garnered almost 1,000 signatures.
Photo: Matt Wade/Wikipedia
Read: Angered by Trump admin policies, violinist Christian Tetzlaff abruptly cancels US tour
Read: Violinist Leonidas Kavakos ‘thrown off balance’ by JD Vance booing at the Kennedy Center
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In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.
The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.
The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.
2025-05-12T09:49:00Z
The British musician, pedagogue and frequent contributor to The Strad will take up the post in September
2025-05-09T09:38:00Z
The violinist will assume the role of associate professor of music in violin from 1 August 2025
2025-05-09T09:19:00Z
The British cellist speaks to The Strad about his deeply personal new album, the influence of Rostropovich and the emotional extremes that keep him returning to this music.
2025-05-12T10:33:00Z
US luthier and The Strad contributor Gary Vessel suffered a stroke last week; his son Dylan Vessel has set up a GoFundMe page to cover his medical bills and living costs
2025-05-12T10:09:00Z
The British ensemble welcomes Maja Horvat as its new violinist
2025-05-12T09:31:00Z
Jansen will make solo and chamber appearances with the orchestra over the 2025/26 season
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