Nathan Cole

I’m thrilled to tell you I’ve been appointed Artistic Director of @chambermusiclex ! I’m taking over from renown violinist and fellow Lexingtonian Nathan Cole @, who co-founded the festival in 2007 and has led it for the past nineteen years. Nathan was recently appointed Concertmaster of @bostonsymphony , one of the most prestigious positions in orchestral music, and he needed to pass the baton. I’ve known Nathan since we were kids in @ckyo1947 and he first brought me into the festival as Artist-in-Residence back in 2017. Needless to say, this one means a lot. For those of you wondering what a jazz violinist from @snarkypuppy is doing directing a chamber music festival: fair question. Chamber music has been part of my life since I was little. I grew up in Lexington watching a local string quartet play at a community restaurant called Alfalfa’s, and something about the way those musicians communicated with each other never left me. I went on to play lots of chamber music at @northwesternu , spent two summers at chamber music festivals in Alfred, NY and Prague, and later recorded with the Grammy-winning ensemble @eighthblackbird + @matthewulery . More recently I’ve been playing with and writing for the @ahntrio . That same aesthetic, everyone listening, everyone leading, runs through all of it, and through jazz too. To me they’ve always been the same thing. My vision for the festival is rooted in the same values Nathan and I have always shared. Great classic repertoire, new composers, and music that doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. Programs that genuinely move people, in the city we both grew up in. More to come soon. Link in bio. 🎻 chambermusiclex.org

“Believe it or not, this was going to be our first rehearsal!” Ahead of this weekend’s performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante, @bostonsymphony Concertmaster Nathan Cole (@natesviolin ) and Principal Viola Steven Ansell (@bsoviola1 ) share the key to finding the perfect blend of sound. More at classical.org/bso! @bkmccreath @kathywittman

Episode 17 is out now with Nathan Cole, concertmaster of the Boston Symphony and former associate concertmaster of the LA phil. Tune in as he shares stories from his career and gives valuable insight into the orchestral world. Link in bio!

Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Nathan Cole speaks about what sets musicians apart in orchestral auditions. Listen to episode 17 tomorrow to hear about his journey through the classical music world! Link in bio.

'A better metaphor would be a scientific laboratory, one outfitted with every chemical and apparatus you could name. In your laboratory, you can feel free to get messy, to blow a few things up. There, too, you can run experiments and simulate conditions that will show themselves in pieces. And the more difficulties you overcome in your laboratory, the fewer tend to show up in repertoire in the first place!'⁠ ⁠ Nathan Cole, concertmaster of the @bostonsymphony gave a fascinating interview to our magazine Jesta, discussing his training, why scale practice matters, and his new book, The Road to Repertoire. ⁠ ⁠ Link in comments.⁠ ⁠ #violin #scales #concertmaster #repertoire

Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Nathan Cole took close to two weeks mostly off over the holidays. He writes about the strange mix of curiosity and dread that comes with getting ready to start the season again, and putting the focus on upsides to time away from the instrument. /blog/ncole78/20261/30622/

The #innergame books talk about Self 1 and Self 2… Self 2 being the body-and-subconscious-mind system, and Self 1 being the conscious mind. Most people practice and even perform fully in Self 1 mode. The problem is that while Self 1 is great at analyzing tasks and directing practice, it’s useless when it comes to actually doing anything… like playing! So in practice, I constantly switch modes, allowing Self 2 to play while Self 1 gets to offer selected critique. I don’t always get the balance right, but it’s a conflict that has to be managed if you’re ever going to perform with ease!

Practicing in the house I grew up in, so many memories (and old baggage)! Do you ever revisit the past when you practice? Sibelius with @uksymphonyorch starts tonight, with the performance Friday. Looking to maximize ring of the instrument with centered intonation… but most importantly, reminding my fingers to work in teams, whether that’s passing vibrato from one to another or lifting/dropping together to set up a series of notes! #sibelius #violinist

For passages that need momentum, or a fast sequence (flow) of actions, it’s critical to “rehearse” it under tempo. It’s different from just slow practice but makes for easy performance. If you’re interested in a free Practice Essentials guide that goes in-depth into more of my practice methods, comment here with the word “slow1”!

Prepping for Sibelius performance next week w @uksymphonyorch in my hometown! Slow practice is essential, but danger is that you lock into a mechanical way of playing that doesn’t work at full tempo. You have to keep the “flow” even when listening critically and rehearsing under tempo. Ineffective slow practice is a huge time waster! #violinist

The Missa Solemnis by Beethoven is a monumental musical achievement, and @bostonsymphony performed it for a monumental occasion: the opening of Boston’s Symphony Hall in the year 1900. This year, the BSO is celebrating Symphony Hall’s 125th birthday with another performance of that same piece! Concertmaster @natesviolin told @bkmccreath about what makes Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis so challenging, and so beautiful. Hear the rest of their conversation at classical.org/bso! #classicalmusic #beethoven #missasolemnis #bso #bostonsymphony #boston #bostonhistory #symphony #orchestra #symphonyhall

Nathan Cole (@natesviolin ), concertmaster of the @bostonsymphony , shows @bkmccreath how a simple change in tuning creates a haunting effect in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 — on the program this weekend at Symphony Hall! Hear more of this conversation at classical.org/bso, and listen Saturday at 8pm on WCRB. #classicalmusic #music #violin #concertmaster #mahler #symphony #orchestra #classical #violinist