The American Viola Society

Roger Bigley

Adam Cordle — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:57 +0000

Roger Bigley, founding violist of the Lindsay Quartet passed away this week at the age of 69. In addition to performing with the Lindsay Quartet, he also performed as assistant principal violist of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and taught at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Michael Kimber: Music for Violas

Adam Cordle — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:00:31 +0000

Polish violist Marcin Murawski has recently recorded works by AVS board member and composer Michael Kimber. The CD is available on the Acte Préalable label (#AP0284).

Zodiac Music Academy & Festival

Adam Cordle — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:46:49 +0000

Marylene Gingras Roy will be teaching private lessons and coaching chamber music at the Zodiac Music Academy & Festival this July 2-15 in southern France. Other opportunities include clinics, masterclasses, sight-reading, and excursions. Every successful applicant receives a scholarship.

For more information, visit zodiacfestival.com.

Music4Food Concert cancelled tonight

Adam Cordle — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:26:46 +0000

The Boston Music4Food concert is cancelled tonight, Apr 15, 2013

Amati Viola Returned to Owner

Adam Cordle — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:00:32 +0000

Luigi Alberto Bianchi has had the 1595 Amati Bros. “Viola Medicea” returned to him after the instrument was stolen from his car in 1980. For more details, visit http://thestrad.com/Article.asp?ArticleID=2601.

Karin Brown performs Britten’s Lachrymae

Adam Cordle — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:08:44 +0000

Check out AVS Secretary Karin Brown perform Britten’s Lachrymae on Fri, Apr 12 at 8pm in Frederick, MD! More info at http://www.bsomusic.org/main.taf?p=1,20.

Koussevitsky Commissions

Adam Cordle — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:24:06 +0000

The Koussevitsky Music Foundation have announced five new commissions to go to the following composers/organizations:

Tristan Murail & Yarnwire
Kaija Saariaho & Da Camera of Houston
Ronald Bruce Smith & Del Sol Quartet
Kate Soper & Alarm Will Sound
Wang Jie & The League of Composers/International Society of Contemporary Music

More at New Music Box.

Book List

Adam Cordle — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:55 +0000

Check out our new list of books that feature the viola and/or the violist! http://americanviolasociety.org/resources/books/

Sejong International Music Festival

Adam Cordle — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:00:45 +0000

General Information:
August 5-17, 2013

The Sejong International Music Festival offers an exceptional opportunity for students to spend two weeks learning from a diverse body of world-renowned faculty in
private lessons and chamber music coachings, with frequent masterclasses available for students to watch and participate in.

The festival was inaugurated this February in Seoul, Korea and will celebrate it’s first American session in August at the Curtis Institute. Students will benefit from the use of the newly built Lenfest Hall, which features 32 teaching studios, chamber music rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, comfortable housing and dining services, as well as a fifth floor terrace overlooking historic Locust Street.

-For piano, violin, viola and cello
-Accepting students age 14+

Tuition covers private lessons, chamber music coachings, masterclasses and two concerts. Tuition for the full two weeks (August 5-17) will be $2,200.00. Room and board is $1,260.00, which includes lodging in the newly built Lenfest Hall at Curtis Institute of Music plus three meals. Separate meal plans can be purchased for $500.00 per person (for people who prefers to arrange their own housing).

Faculty: Hsin-Yun Huang, Roberto Diaz, Sang Jin Kim

Apply and Audition Requirements

Submit application and audition recording online, after creating account withAcceptd.
All instruments should submit either video or audio of at least 15 min. Audition must include three contrasting selections of music; a solo Bach movement, a classical period work and one other work of stylistic contrasts.

Application deadline: April 15th, 2013

Non-refundable application fee: $50.00

Late application fee: $75.00

Acceptance notification: May 15th, 2013

PRISMA

Adam Cordle — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:48:22 +0000

PRISMA offers a unique program that bridges the education and training received at a university or conservatory and the professional life as an orchestral musician. The comprehensive program assists advanced students and young professionals in obtaining a position in a professional orchestra.

The program includes:

Orchestral rehearsals
Concerts
Master classes
Sectionals
Private lessons
Forums
Audition Training
Orchestral Rehearsals

The Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra rehearses daily. Repertoire is chosen to provide players with a broad experience in orchestral playing, musical interpretation and different styles.

Concerts

The Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra will prepare two full concert programs during PRISMA. Concerts will be performed in the Evergreen Theatre to an enthusiastic, sophisticated audience. The guest artists will perform a variety of chamber music concerts in which students occasionally participate. In addition there will be performances by student ensembles.

Master Classes

PRISMA students will further develop their skills in Master Classes with the guest artists. During the master classes students have the opportunity to play for and listen to colleagues under dedicated guidance.

Sectionals

Students take part in sectional rehearsals lead by the guest artists or by the music director. Solutions will be discussed for specific challenging sections of orchestral repertoire.

Private Lessons

During the private lessons, students will work on selected repertoire, concertos and orchestral excerpts. Guest artists will address the specific needs of individual students to improve their skills and techniques. Students prepare 3-5 excerpts from a list of audition requirements for solo and tutti jobs in major orchestras worldwide.

Forums

Forums will be held in which students can ask questions of faculty about auditioning, playing in an orchestra, the differences between orchestras in America, Europe and Asia and their mode of operation plus all aspects of the professional life of an orchestral player.

Audition Training

Preparation for a successful audition is a very important aspect of the PRISMA program. During PRISMA students will take part in four auditions. At the beginning of each week there will be auditions for placement in the orchestra. At the end of each week, students will take part in ‘live auditions’ to improve their skills and gain more experience. The guest artists, consisting of musicians who have principal positions in world-renowned orchestras, will train students to become more comfortable with the process of auditioning. Students will play a first and second round of a ‘live audition’ and also have an opportunity to sit on the jury panel. During the first week the audition will be behind a screen, like a ‘first round’ and in the second week the audition will be open, like a ‘second round’. All private lessons, master classes and forums will help students prepare for these auditions. The experience will be far more important than the specific result of the audition. Being a member of the jury will give students the opportunity to experience “the other side” which will improve their own presentation/performance in an audition.