ESTA Ireland - European String Teachers Association

I would also like to inform you of a change in our ESTA workshop series with our president Géza Szilvay:
The session originally planned for 12 April 2026 will now take place on 19 April 2026.
Please kindly pass this information on to your members.

Below you will find the updated workshop dates as well as the access link:

Sunday, 8 March 2026, 4 pm CET – Shifting, Part 1

Sunday, 29 March 2026, 4 pm CET –Shifting, Part 2
Sunday, 19 April 2026, 4 pm CET – Scales and arpeggios in two, three and four octaves

Dear Presidents and Secretaries,

I wish you all a happy and inspiring new year!
I would like to announce that we will host our next ESTA TALK session on Sunday, 18.1.26 at 4 pm CET with ESTA Croatia President Andelko Krpan!

You can access the session via the following link:

https://arnes-si.zoom.us/j/5404493360?omn=99198209570

Please forward these information to your ESTA members.

Thank you and all the best
Laura

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🎻 CHAMBER MUSIC DAY WITH KAT BAKER! 🎶
Join us at the ICO Hall, University of Limerick for a hands-on playthrough of Kat’s Character Suites — original chamber music designed to inspire young ensemble players (Grade 1–7).

📅 Sunday 16th November 2025
🕥 10:30am – 3:30pm
📍 ICO Hall, University of Limerick

All string players & teachers welcome!
ESTA members & student members: FREE
Non-members: €20

✨ Special event price: Books €20 each (normally €25!)
Music will be provided — just bring your instrument and come and PLAY!

🔗 Registration link: https://forms.gle/sv5bF2dbMw8wk8ME9

This afternoon the master is offering his thoughts on Bowing. 3pm Irish time.

Join ESTA President Géza Szilvay this afternoon for his online workshop, the first of two sessions on Bowing. The link to join can be found in your November newsletter email. See you soon!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CVTkHiDMh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Géza Szilvay's online workshops: extracts from the workshop 21th September 2025 Workshops by courtesy of Géza Szilvay, sponsored by Fennica Gehrman Oy the music publisher. Video (extracts from the workshop 21th September 2025): Géza Szil...

This just in!!!!!

Dear President,

The free workshops series organized by the Central Board and sponsored by Fennica Gehrman, continue during the autumn 2025.

ESTA Talks and the workshops series are the very first projects in the history of our organization where the central board creates and maintains professional connection between board and membership. The numerous and active participation in the workshops together with the positive feedback encourages and motivates us to proceed on.

The subjects of the coming workshop sessions:

CHILD – CENTERED SCALE TEACHING. Developing “ear led” fingers. Scales in one, two and three octaves. Sunday, September 21.

CHILD – CENTERED RHYTHM TEACHING. Developing the inner pulse. Various rhythms and time signatures. Sunday, October 12.

BOWINGS PART I. Detache, legato, martelé, staccato and portato. Sunday, November 2.

BOWINGS PART II. Marcato, bouncing bow, ricochet, sautille, arpeggio and chordal playing. Sunday, November 23.

FINGER - PATTERNS PART I. Basic, flattened and sharpened stopping positions of the second and third fingers. Sunday, December 7.

FINGER - PATTERNS PART II. Basic, flattened and sharpened stopping positions of the first and fourth fingers. Half position, enharmony and chromaticism. 2026 Sunday, February 8.

SHIFTING PART I. Discover and master the fingerboard. Sunday March 8.

SHIFTING PART II. These workshops are designed for developing technically and intellectually balanced acquisition of the different positions. They offer art-pedagogical material to read confidently in the positions, to master the shifting movements and to understand why and when to use a particular position. Sunday, March 29.

SCALES AND ARPEGGIOUS IN TWO, THREE AND FOUR OCTAVES Sunday, April 12.



DATES of the sessions:

2025 September 21, October 12, November 2, November 23, December 7.

2026 February 8, March 8, March 29, April 12.

The broadcasts of all sessions are on Sundays at 4 p.m. (CET).

We kindly ask you dear president to distribute this letter to all members of your national branch.

With cordial greetings

ESTA Central Board

Géza Szilvay

Dear President and Dear ESTA Member,

The free workshops series organized by the Central Board and sponsored by Fennica Gehrman, continue during the autumn 2025.
ESTA Talks and the workshops series are the very first projects in the history of our organization where the central board creates and maintains professional connection between board and membership. The numerous and active participation in the workshops together with the positive feedback encourages and motivates us to proceed on.
The subjects of the coming workshop sessions:
1/ CHILD – CENTERED SCALE TEACHING. Developing “ear led” fingers. Scales in one, two and three octaves.
2/ CHILD – CENTERED RHYTHM TEACHING. Developing the inner pulse. Various rhythms and time signatures.
3/ BOWINGS PART I. Detache, legato, martelé, staccato and portato.
4/ BOWINGS PART II. Marcato, bouncing bow, ricochet, sautille, arpeggio and chordal playing.
5/ FINGER - PATTERNS PART I. Basic, flattened and sharpened stopping positions of the second and third fingers.
6/ FINGER - PATTERNS PART II. Basic, flattened and sharpened stopping positions of the first and fourth fingers. Half position, enharmony and chromaticism.
7/ SHIFTING PART I. Discover and master the fingerboard.
8/ SHIFTING PART II. These workshops (nr. 7 and 😎 are designed for developing technically and intellectually balanced acquisition of the different positions. They offer art-pedagogical material to read confidently in the positions, to master the shifting movements and to understand why and when to use a particular position.
9/ SCALES AND ARPEGGIOUS IN TWO, THREE AND FOUR OCTAVES

Dates of the sessions:
2025: September 21, October 12, November 2, November 23, December 7
2026: February 8, March 8, March 29, April 12.
The broadcast of all sessions is on Sundays at 4 p.m. (CET).

We kindly ask you dear president to distribute this letter to all members of your national branch.

With cordial greetings
ESTA Central Board
Géza Szilvay

Seems like a while since we have written to everyone. However now is a good time to propose a meet-up and a workshop. For some time now Kat Baker has been writing a series of chamber music books for young people. They really are something very special and fill a huge need in the repertoire. What is proposed is that we meet in November and spend a day together playing and learning about these beautiful works. We will post a poll on WhatsApp in the next couple of days to finalise a date but in the meantime maybe people could look at both the 16th and the 23rd as possibilities.