Joshua Bell is on the cover of our North America-focused issue, which contains a detailed examination of his 1713 ‘Huberman’ Stradivari. We explore San Francisco’s chamber music scene, look back on the varied career of Harry Lookofsky, and report on the Banff string quartet competition. Plus, musicians discuss Britten’s string works and Tim Kliphuis gives tips on playing like Stéphane Grappelli.