Strings Stories
Articles from the pages of Strings Magazine - read aloud by the editor and authors!
Strings keeps you informed on the music, musicians, and instruments that matter. Published since 1986, our editors and expert contributors share stories from the vibrant community surrounding stringed instruments. For teachers and students, amateurs and professionals, players of violin, viola, cello, bass, and fiddle, Strings is your magazine.
Strings Stories
Ditching Decorum: Classical Comedians Who Dare to Tickle the Funny Bone
This story was written by Brian Wise for the September-October 2023 issue of Strings magazine and is read by Megan Westberg, Editor.
Aleksey Igudesman, the violinist half of comedy duo Igudesman & Joo, is no fan of the ritualized behaviors of classical performance. “Let’s be honest—the whole situation is ridiculous,” he says. “If aliens came down and went into the concert hall, they’d see people walking out dressed like penguins. People bow solemnly and don’t speak. All these weird rituals and self-righteous looks. The music they would get—the music is passionate, funny, fun, diverse. But the whole thing around it?”'