violinist

In hard times, we inspire. As musicians, that’s one way that our art serves the world.

December 7, 2020.  What do Antonio Vivaldi and Astor Piazzola have in common? The German violinist Arabella Steinbacher. Her new album Four Seasons features the seasons heard through the music of Vivaldi, with his most famous work, The Four Seasons, and Piazzola with his Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Georgian-born violinist Lisa Batiashvili is usually on the move, soloing with orchestras around the world. But since March she’s has been at home with her family in Germany and France. In this TIME IN interview, she talks about the pleasures of re-creating family recipes for her husband and children, playing chamber music with friends, and finding time for yoga and meditation amongst other things.

August 10, 2020. Even if you're staying home this summer, you can still take a trip around the world with violinist Lisa Batiashvili and her innovative new album, City Lights—a wonderful collection of musical portraits of cities that have played a part in her life and career. The album takes its name from Charlie Chaplin's famous film, and sets the tone for the tour with music by a wide range of composers including Chaplin himself.

With a career as a concert soloist launched at a very young age, and then a debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic when she was just 8, violinist Sarah Chang continues to perform with world-class ensembles across the globe. She's been honored for her leadership in the arts by the World Economic Forum and Harvard University, and was named Artistic Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State in 2011. 

July 6. 2020. Belle époque, or “beautiful era,” represents the time in European history between the end of the Franco-Prussian War (1871) to the onset of World War I (1914) when science and the arts flourished. Violinist Daniel Hope explores the music of the Belle époque in his 17th release for Deutsche Grammophon.

It's a first: this Saturday, June 20th, a local luminary will be serving up musical shots with me in the Classical Coffeehouse. Be sure to tune in as we celebrate Father’s Day weekend on WRTI with David Kim—concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, a devoted dad, and a longtime family friend of mine. What an honor to welcome him to the show!