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X-WR-CALNAME:Welcome to the American Viola Society!
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T120000
DTSTAMP:20260617T145259
CREATED:20260207T035123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T025817Z
UID:47079-1780570800-1780574400@www.americanviolasociety.org
SUMMARY:Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Black Fiddlers
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nPresenters:\nDanielle Wiebe Burke\nAyn Balija\nDavid McCormick\nJohanna Beaver\nSam Suggs\nWhat sounds might a visitor to Monticello have heard? Music was often in the air – Thomas Jefferson was a violinist\, and nearly every member of his family also played an instrument\, including his three enslaved sons with Sally Hemings\, all of whom played fiddle. On Charlottesville’s Main Street\, the Scott family\, related by marriage to the Hemings clan\, boasted three generations of fiddlers who played for every sitting president for decades. This presentation explores the unique repertoire of these accomplished Black fiddlers\, which ranged from raucous reels to stately minuets.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://www.americanviolasociety.org/events/rock-reel-monticellos-black-fiddlers/
LOCATION:Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
CATEGORIES:Lecture-Recital
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T110000
DTSTAMP:20260617T145259
CREATED:20260207T035155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T153831Z
UID:47085-1780567200-1780570800@www.americanviolasociety.org
SUMMARY:Rediscovering Maurice Vieux: Forgotten Voices of the French Viola School
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nPresenter:\nDouglas Temples\nBernadette Lo\nThis lecture recital draws from my doctoral research into the legacy of Maurice Vieux (1878–1951)\, the Paris conservatory professor who shaped the modern French viola school. While his pedagogical works remain in print\, much of the recital repertoire inspired by him has been forgotten. These works not only reflect the refined aesthetics of early 20th-century French music\, they also serve as valuable teaching and performance resources for violists today.\nThe program features three works\nEugène Cools Andante Sério: A deeply expressive and lyrical piece that captures the soulful sound of the viola. Cools\, a contemporary of Vieux\, wrote this piece with a clear sense of vocal phrasing and refined harmonic color. Though rarely played today\, it deserves a fresh hearing for its emotional depth and simplicity of form. \nHenri Casadesus Deux Pièces pour alto et piano: These short works are graceful and full of charm\, offering great variety in mood and style. Casadesus\, often remembered for his “Baroque” pastiches\, also wrote original viola music that reflects the elegance of the early 20th-century French salon tradition\nRené Julien Lied: A gentle and melodic miniature that highlights the viola’s ability to sing. Julien’s writing encourages the player to focus on sound\, nuance\, and shaping—elements central to Vieux’s teaching philosophy. \nThe lecture will provide historical background on each composer\, the works’ connections to Vieux\, and how they align with his technical and musical priorities. I will also address how these pieces can be used in teaching studios\, competitions\, and professional programming. Attendees will receive a handout with biographical sketches\, difficulty levels\, and score sources of all of the repertoire inspired by Vieux to encourage further exploration..\nThis project supports the AVS Festival’s mission to showcase lesser-known repertoire\, honor historical legacies\, and provide meaningful resources for the viola community.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://www.americanviolasociety.org/events/rediscovering-maurice-vieux-forgotten-voices-of-the-french-viola-school/
LOCATION:Room 204 (Music)
CATEGORIES:Lecture-Recital
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260604T100000
DTSTAMP:20260617T145259
CREATED:20260207T035205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T030303Z
UID:47077-1780563600-1780567200@www.americanviolasociety.org
SUMMARY:Adapting Cello Repertoire: Sacrifices and Advantages\, Examined Through Francis Poulenc's Cello Sonata
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nPresenters:\nAnna-Sofia Botti\nNicholas Lindell\nFrancis Poulenc’s 1940s Sonata for Cello and Piano carries a notorious reputation for its diabolical difficulty. After dreaming of stepping up to the challenge\, I engraved and performed a preliminary version for viola. Most interestingly\, due to its technical challenges\, I believe that Poulenc’s sonata provides an excellent case study into both the sacrifices and advantages of adapting difficult cello repertoire for the viola. \nThe crux of a good viola arrangement of cello music involves idiomatic uses of the viola’s physical and sonic affordances\, while compromising compellingly on what musical effects and pitches the cello can accomplish that the viola cannot. The lecture portion of this session will detail the critical choices made in my arranging process\, regarding both viola technique and the preservation of musical content. In turn\, this case study will shed light on several deeper\, timeless questions about adapting repertoire\, not just for the viola: \nHow true to the original should an arrangement stay? Are arrangements entirely new works with distinct identities? Where should the line be drawn?\nWhat new content/meaning can arrangements (and\, by extension\, individual performances) bring to existing works?\nHow does stolen repertoire like J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites or Violin Partitas & Sonatas fit into the viola’s domain? \nLuckily\, many of the cello’s technical challenges in Poulenc’s sonata become assuaged or transmuted on the viola. Various fast sections can be played at pitch in lower positions\, and the strings speak more easily. At the same time\, some aspects actually become more difficult: cellists’ advantage of thumb position technique makes fingerboard jumps and high-position A-string playing far simpler; the sonata’s wide registral mismatches are a hallmark of Poulenc’s exhilarating\, frenetic\, neoclassical style that are worth preserving. In all\, the work is a compelling addition to the advanced viola repertoire that I look forward to sharing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://www.americanviolasociety.org/events/adapting-cello-repertoire-sacrifices-and-advantages-examined-through-francis-poulencs-cello-sonata/
LOCATION:Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
CATEGORIES:Lecture-Recital
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T163000
DTSTAMP:20260617T145259
CREATED:20260207T035241Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T030738Z
UID:47023-1780500600-1780504200@www.americanviolasociety.org
SUMMARY:Gamifying the practice room
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nPresenter:\nNick Revel\nWhat if learning etudes felt like casting spells in epic boss battles? DragonScales: The Hero Levels – 25 Fantasy Etudes to Slay Evil invites violists into a fully immersive practice and performance experience where fantasy storytelling\, game mechanics\, and serious technique converge. In this lecture recital\, I will demonstrate how the Hero Levels fuse narrative\, audio play-along recordings\, and progressive etudes to create a flexible and engaging educational tool for players of all levels. \nThis unique system includes three core components: a written fantasy novella in which you\, the player\, take on the role of Hero\, a full set of technically demanding yet imaginative notated etudes\, and professionally recorded and mixed audio play-along tracks. Available in three difficulty tiers—Story\, Noble\, and Legend—for violin\, viola\, and cello\, each following the same story and using the same audio play-alongs\, the book supports both solo and multiplayer settings\, allowing teachers\, students\, and peers to level up together. \nThrough live performance excerpts and analysis\, I will showcase how these etudes function both as stand-alone technical studies and as integrated components of a storytelling journey alongside cinematic audio play-alongs. I will also explore practical applications for private studios\, group classes\, and recital settings—including adaptive multi-level learning\, improvisation prompts\, theory integration\, and cross-instrument collaboration. \nWith QR-linked resources including practice tempo tracks\, demo performances\, and a growing online community playlist\, The Hero Levels supports creative learning at every stage of development. This session will be both a performance and an invitation to reimagine how we teach and inspire with our instruments. Why not go on an adventure while learning your instrument? Materials will be provided for participants and an optional raffle book giveaway can be arranged.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://www.americanviolasociety.org/events/gamifying-the-practice-room/
LOCATION:Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
CATEGORIES:Lecture-Recital
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T153000
DTSTAMP:20260617T145259
CREATED:20260207T035817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260509T223516Z
UID:47025-1780497000-1780500600@www.americanviolasociety.org
SUMMARY:Underrepresented Twice: Spotlighting Unknown Soviet Repertoire by Female Composers and Ethnic Minorities
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nPresenter:\nNethanel Pollak\nIn recent years the American viola community shared an increased interest in viola music by composers of underrepresented backgrounds\, from the present and from the past. In this lecture recital—based on my recent pioneering research of unknown original viola works from the Soviet Era—I will introduce three solo works by Soviet composers\, which never became known in the West\, and fell under obscurity in the (ex-)USSR territories\, mainly due to the composers’ background. I will start by introducing the first movement from the 1985/87 Sonata for Viola Solo by the Ukrainian Alexander Shchetynsky (b. 1960)\, who currently blossoms in Ukraine and Poland but receives a much lesser degree of international recognition. The Sonata is progressive in its style\, expressionistic\, questions traditional tonal and rhythmic hierarchies\, and as such falls under the category of ‘unofficial music’\, as defined by Peter Schmelz. Following\, is the 1967 Suite op. 2 for Viola Solo by Elena Firsova (b.1950) who currently resides in the UK and was one of the very few acclaimed young female composers in the USSR. Her early Suite consists of four short movements\, exploring different instrumental and compositional techniques\, atonal yet expressive\, celebrating the human-voice-like qualities associated with the viola in Soviet scholarship. I will conclude my lecture with the 1985 Genesis Sonata by Azerbaijani composer Khayyam Mirzazade (1935-2018)\, who was hailed in his Republic\, but never broke through the cultural glass ceiling elsewhere. Genesis is a monumental piece\, powerful in its simplicity\, perfectly tailored for the instrument\, and reflects the late Soviet peripheral tendency to compose in the style known in the West as ‘world-music’. The lecture aims to encourage violists to explore underrepresented repertoire from times of great repression\, under the light of the biblical message that humans were equally created “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://www.americanviolasociety.org/events/underrepresented-twice-spotlighting-unknown-soviet-repertoire-by-female-composers-and-ethnic-minorities/
LOCATION:Room 204 (Music)
CATEGORIES:Lecture-Recital
END:VEVENT
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