Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
Our cohost this week is violinist Jad Ibrahim, who shares his journey as a student at Interlochen's Arts Academy. He also teaches us about right-hand pizzicato.
Usually right-hand pizzicato is just used by PART of the orchestra and for a short amount of time, but Johann Strauss Jr. and his brother Josef worked together to compose their "Pizzicato Polka."
In this recording below, we can hear the entire string section of the Vienna Philharmonic putting their bows aside and plucking away.
In his hometown of Latakia, Syria, Jad chose the violin at age 7 and taught himself how to play by watching YouTube videos of the old masters.
"I always got inspired by old-school masters like Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin to get closer to my passion," says Jad.
Jad taught himself violin tricks like right-hand pizzicato by listening to videos of famous performers and then reproducing their techniques and sounds.
"I learned a lot from watching videos," starts Jad. "The Russian style of technique uses a very heavy articulation and very crispy playing. It's very expressive."
After discovering Interlochen, Jad's life and musical opportunities changed dramatically. Through the advocacy of his current Interlochen violin teacher, Tina Qu, Jad recently fished his second year at Interlochen and will return in 2026 for a postgraduate gap year
Among his current repertoire this semester is Henryk Wieniawski's "Variations on an Original Theme."
Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above and if you know the answer to to today's riddle, text the answer to 833.490.4718. By texting your answer, you agree to receive follow-up messages from IPR.
Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost Jad.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
