Violinist.com

V.com weekend vote: What is your favorite practice tool?

September 25, 2021, 7:00 PM · What is your favorite practice tool? This is a question that Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier asked, when interviewing me on her Mind Over Finger podcast that came out on Friday. Great question!

There are so many tools that can aid with practice: a mirror, practice journal, tuner, various apps, accompaniment tracks, etc. I'm wondering how everyone else would answer this question, and it got me thinking about the many tools that exist. So what is your favorite practice tool, and why? Please choose the answer that comes closest for you, and then tell us all about it in the comments.

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Exclusive Interview with TwoSet Violin: Announcing 2021 Virtual World Tour

Laurie Niles

September 24, 2021, 7:02 PM · Before the pandemic, classical comedy duo TwoSet Violin - which consists of Australian violinists Brett Yang and Eddy Chen - was gaining momentum as a live act. Founded in 2014, TwoSet was known primarily for their hilarious viral Youtube videos that depict life as a classical musician and have reached some five million viewers. But in 2017 their act grew to include more in-person performances. That's when they started traveling all over the globe to perform live shows for their first world tour, which was completely financed through crowdfunding.

Their second world tour, however, hit a major roadblock: COVID-19. Scheduled for 2020, those plans fell victim to global lockdowns and limitations. But there is good news: TwoSet has regrouped to create a "Virtual World Tour" which will take place December 28-29, 2021, online. Tickets go on sale today; click here for more information.

"We knew that we didn't want to rush this, and so we took our time to plan for this world tour," Eddy said. "Lots of people were doing livestreams, but we felt that there’s more that we could do in the classical music space, to make our content unique and interesting."

The new show will feature an all-original script, broadcast live from a concert hall, direct to three different time zones (Americas, Europe/Africa and Asia/Australia/New Zealand), so music fans from all over the world can experience the tour.

Last week I spoke to Brett and Eddy about the new Virtual World Tour show, about how the pandemic affected them, and about their line of TwoSet Apparel -- all the nifty classical music-geek T-shirts and other stuff they have created for lovers of violin and classical music. Keep reading...

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'Let's Work Together' - hear Laurie Niles on Mind Over Finger Podcast with Renée-Paule Gauthier

Laurie Niles

September 24, 2021, 12:51 PM · As editor of Violinist.com for the last nearly 25 years, I frequently interview people, but I'm less accustomed to being the subject of an interview! Nonetheless, I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier for her Mind Over Finger podcast this week. We talked about devotion to practice, the process of learning expression, how young people can learn from collaboration and much more. Here is the episode, which you can also find on iTunes; Spotify; and Youtube. Please enjoy!

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For the Record, Op. 171: Elena Urioste and Tom Poster; ARC Ensemble; William Goldstein and Pei-Wen Liao

Laurie Niles

September 23, 2021, 2:10 PM · Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!

The Jukebox Album
Elena Urioste, violin
Tom Poster, piano

In March 2020, violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster - a married pair - decided to share a music video for every day spent in isolation. They called it The Jukebox. Little did they know it would turn into 88 days of musical adventures, with thousands of viewers tuning in and submitting requests throughout lockdown. It led to some eclectic performances, from Mozart to Led Zeppelin, and a medley of Come On Eileen/Toxic/Baby Shark. After winning the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Inspiration Award, the project has now hit the studio. The Jukebox Album features a collection of Jukebox favorites as well as six new works written for the project by Mark Simpson, Clarice Assad, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Huw Watkins, Donald Grant, and Jessie Montgomery. BELOW: Trailer for the album.