Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Black Fiddlers
2026-06-04 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
What 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.
Presenters:
Danielle Wiebe Burke
Ayn Balija
David McCormick
Johanna Beaver
Sam Suggs

Deep Listening and Improvisation: Expanding Your Viola Practice Through Sound Awareness
2026-06-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Room 108/Large Band Room (Music)
This interactive workshop introduces violists to Pauline Oliveros’s “Deep Listening” technique and structured improvisation as tools for expanding artistic expression and enhancing practice effectiveness. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that demonstrate how mindful listening and guided improvisation can transform both individual practice and ensemble playing.
The session begins with foundational Deep Listening exercises designed to heighten sound awareness and environmental sensitivity. Participants will explore listening techniques that extend beyond traditional musical training, developing skills in sonic attention, acoustic space awareness, and responsive listening. These exercises do require instruments, but do invite them.
Moving into improvisation, the workshop builds on Deep Listening with frameworks that make improvisation accessible to violists at all levels. Through guided exercises, participants will practice melodic exploration, rhythmic variation, and textural experimentation within supportive parameters. These activities demonstrate how improvisation can enhance technical development, musical creativity, and performance confidence.
The workshop includes collaborative sound-making activities where participants create collective improvisations using their violas alongside voice and body percussion. These exercises illustrate how improvisation, and Deep Listening principles foster empathetic musical interaction and community building within ensemble settings.
Practical applications focus on integrating these techniques into daily practice routines, teaching scenarios, and performance preparation. Participants will learn specific exercises for developing improvisational skills, methods for incorporating Deep Listening into technical work, and strategies for creating inclusive musical environments.
All activities are designed to be immediately applicable, providing participants with concrete tools they can use in their studios, practice rooms, and performance contexts. The workshop welcomes violists from student to professional levels, emphasizing exploration and experiential learning over theoretical discussion.
Format: 40-minute interactive workshop plus 10-minute Q&A
Participants are highly encouraged to bring their violas, although not required.
Presenter:
Freya Downey

AVS Shared Recital: Musical Storytelling: Pictorial Viola Compositions by Maxwell Lowery
2026-06-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Recital Hall (Forbes)
Maxwell Lowery is a violist and composer who writes programmatic concert music for the viola and small ensembles. His vividly pictorial compositions tell musical stories and are inspired by nature, life, and the human experience. In this group recital, Maxwell and violist Molly Wise will present three of his solo and duo works.
Molly will perform a seven-minute unaccompanied solo piece, Nostalgia, the second prize winning composition in AVS’s 2020 Gardner composition competition. Composed in January 2019, Nostalgia depicts someone lost in thought, pondering their childhood memories. These memories appear as both pleasant and uncomfortable motifs and fragments continually mixing and blending together, never quite taking on a solid form. A triumphant climax, perhaps recalling a moving emotional event, decays to a brooding conclusion by the end.
Maxwell will perform a fifteen-minute, four-movement unaccompanied solo piece, A Very Long Day. Composed in January 2020, this suite contains four scenes in the eventful afternoon of an archetypal toddler. A temper tantrum, a nap, a time out, and a birthday party are heard through violent perpetual motion, dreamy bariolage, soaring melodies, sinister chromatic lines, a pizzicato heartbeat, and celebratory march-like themes.
As the centerpiece of the program, Maxwell and Molly together will perform a forty-one-minute, twenty-six-movement duo for two violas, Magical Miniatures. Composed in Spring 2021, this collection of miniature character pieces tells a fantasy story featuring a cast of memorable characters, a variety of magical landmarks, and a series of short adventures. Each character, location, and chapter of the story is given a distinct sound through extensive use of extended techniques and compositional devices. The work comes to a rousing conclusion as if the characters are riding off into the sunset atop their trusty steeds.
Presenter:
Maxwell Lowery
Molly Wise

Exhibitor Open Hours
2026-06-04 12:30 - 18:00 | Forbes Center Lobby
We invite you to explore the exhibitor hall and connect with distinguished luthiers, bow makers, publishers, and vendors from across the viola world. Discover exceptional instruments, browse sheet music and accessories, and enjoy the opportunity to meet the experts who support and inspire our vibrant musical community.

AVS Shared Recital: Music From Home
2026-06-04 13:30 - 14:30 | Recital Hall (Forbes)
Tze-Ying Wu, Pei-San Chiu, and Chen-Yu Huang are members of the Formosa Trio. Formed in 2012 at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the Trio’s name, Formosa—meaning “beautiful island” and a synonym for Taiwan—reflects the ensemble’s deep connection to their homeland. This dynamic group has performed extensively across the United States, China, and Taiwan, captivating audiences with innovative programs and exceptional artistry.
Dedicated to expanding the repertoire for their unique instrumentation, the Formosa Trio champions both classical and contemporary works. They have collaborated with composers to commission pieces such as Hidden Grace by Grammy-nominated Zhou Tian, Time Flies by Tsung Jen Hsieh, and The Remnant Souls by Yuchun Hu. In addition to premiering new works, the ensemble creates arrangements of classical pieces and Taiwanese folk songs, offering fresh perspectives on beloved melodies.
Performance will include: Hidden Grace and The Remnant Souls.
Performer:
Tze-Ying Wu
Jorge Alves

The Voice of the Viola: Betsy Jolas’s Works for Viola
2026-06-04 13:30 - 14:30 | Room 204 (Music)
French composer Betsy Jolas (b. 1926) has written a body of captivating and beguiling works for the viola. While she once joked that she belonged to the musical movement called “marginal,” she has become one of the most important French woman composers of our time. A trailblazing woman composer who has blended Messiaen’s expressivity with Boulezian intricacy, Jolas infuses her music with a sense of lyricism.
This lecture recital will illuminate her musical style through the analysis and performance of two works featuring the viola: Quatre Duos for viola and piano (1979), and Épisode Sixieme for solo viola (1984). I will address the dominant thread of lyricism throughout her works, her flexible rhythmic organization, and her timbral variety. I will also use the richness of her biography—her French/American duality, her early friendships with James Joyce and other modernist intellectuals, and her career as a teacher—to shed light on her music.
Each movement of the Quatre Duos is an abstract portrait of a woman. It first originated as the Examination piece at the Paris Conservatory. Jolas allows the viola to become a kaleidoscopic instrument. She understands it better than most, plumbing its un-explored corners for subtle and fresh sounds.
Épisode Sixieme is essentially a vocal piece for the viola. Lyricism is the dominant mode of the piece, even if it becomes submerged by other music. Capricious skittering gestures, far-flung timbres, and jagged rhythms momentarily distract, but the melodic voice always re-emerges, exerting its subtle pull on the narrative.
Jolas’s music is perfectly suited to the viola: lyrical, elusive, and imaginative, and her music should be included in every violist’s repertoire. I hope that this lecture recital will bring further and renewed attention to this trailblazing woman composer.
Presenter:
Andrew Braddock

Trauma-Informed Workshop with Nicole Melrose
2026-06-04 13:30 - 14:30 | Room 108/Large Band Room (Music)
Nicole Melrose leads this thoughtful workshop exploring trauma-informed approaches to music teaching, learning, and performance. Participants will gain insight into creating supportive, inclusive environments that promote safety, trust, and artistic growth. This session offers practical strategies for educators and performers to foster resilience, awareness, and well-being within the musical community.
Presenter:
Nicole Melrose

Teacher in Residence: Open Lessons/Drop In Observation
2026-06-04 13:30 - 15:30 | B71 (Music Building)
Observe master teachers in action during these open lessons with festival participants. Students will work one-on-one with Teachers in Residence in a traditional private lesson setting, while attendees are invited to drop in and observe a variety of teaching styles, techniques, and approaches. Unlike a masterclass, which takes place in a public performance setting, these sessions reflect the more personal, in-depth nature of everyday teaching. This unique opportunity offers valuable insight into the art of teaching and learning, providing inspiration for performers, educators, and students alike.
Teacher:
Peter Slowik

Bartók, Ligeti & the Hora Lungă: The Folk Story Behind Ligeti’s Sonata
2026-06-04 14:30 - 15:30 | Room 321 (Music)
György Ligeti’s Viola Sonata (1991–1994) draws deeply from the folk traditions of his Romanian homeland and the ethnomusicological legacy of Béla Bartók. This lecture will explore how indigenous Romanian flute traditions, Bartók’s parlando rubato style, and Ligeti’s lifelong emulation of Bartók converge in the sonata’s musical language—with a special focus on the first movement, Hora Lungă.
Attendees will trace connections between Old Hungarian and Old Romanian folk songs and Ligeti’s compositional structures, tempi, and stylistic choices. By identifying specific rhythmic, structural, and stylistic elements derived from Romanian and Hungarian sources, participants will learn to recognize the folk traditions and instruments that influenced the sonata. The lecture will also demonstrate how an ethnomusicological context can inform interpretative choices, enabling performers to apply this understanding to their own practice.
Through score excerpts, historical imagery, and audio/video examples, the lecture will reveal how Ligeti incorporates the performance practices, pitch contents, and tuning systems of Balkan shepherd and peasant flutes, alongside Bartók’s folk-song classifications: the bocet, colindă, doină, and ceremonial dances. In doing so, attendees will connect Bartók’s research methods to Ligeti’s compositional approaches, deepening both historical knowledge and performance insight into one of the viola’s most iconic modern works.
Presenters:
Blake Liahona Allen

The AI and I
2026-06-04 14:30 - 15:30 | Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
What can AI do in music? No, not to generate, not to steal and copy, nor taking away the fundamentals and essences of human value: to create and to express. We develop the AI program in music performance that serves the expressions, messages, stories and imaginations of the creators, of the performers: for them to create with unimaginable vastness of possibilities in the new era of AI and offer the industry the possible direction of future.
There is a long history of compositions blending a live acoustic instrument with recorded sound — environmental sound, computer generated sound, or even recorded acoustic instruments. In most cases the live player follows along with the previously recorded sound adjusting timing as necessary to achieve the desired ensemble. Sound map tracking AI provides an alternative to this model, allowing the live player to lead the performance while the interactive AI follow and interact with the live player. This approach frees the live player from the rigid timing, allowing expressive freedom in creativeness. Allowing for fixed-media pieces as well as imaginative score-based live processing of the soloist’s sound, while freeing the soloist to drive the music as the moment requires. We will demonstrate this technology both with traditional viola repertoire and new compositions of Zhao.
Presenters:
Clara Qiyun Zhao
Christopher Raphael

Exploring Just Intonation Through Double Stops
2026-06-04 14:30 - 15:30 | Room 1270/Dance Theater (Forbes)
As classical music includes so much one-on-one teaching, many of our skills are learned practically through oral tradition. Because of this, many teachers assume that their students will “figure it out” with enough practice, time, and experience. Intonation, and especially Just Intonation, is one of those subjects. Several books have been written about Just Intonation, but they mainly focus on the theoretical. For these reasons, I created a practical guide so that musicians can apply and hear the concepts of Just Intonation immediately.
While this workshop is about tuning, it’s actually about more than that.
It’s about deep listening, exploring the edges of resonance, and increasing your awareness of what you hear and feel while playing. It’s about developing a deep and focused sound, which is so crucial for good viola playing.
This session will be experiential, and I will recruit 4 participants (most likely students) in advance from the participants of the AVS festival. I will lead them through experiments with sound production, explore what gets in the way of good sound and good intonation, and systematically go through tuning intervals and chords.
Those who are not playing will also be able to hear when intervals and chords achieve maximum resonance.
Presenter:
Molly Sharp

AVSF Masterclass: Emerging Teaching Artists
2026-06-04 14:30 - 15:30 | Room 1115 (Forbes)
Emerging Teaching Artists of the American Viola Society Festival lead this masterclass, working with selected participants and sharing their insights on technique, musical interpretation, and effective practice strategies. This session highlights the artistry and pedagogical voices of rising educators while offering valuable perspectives for performers and observers alike.

Contemporary Feminine Declarations- Auerbach and Higdon
2026-06-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Room 204 (Music)
This lecture recital with violist Sheila Browne and pianist Lisa Leonard will explore these two works- Lera Auerbach’s Arcanum and Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Sonata, for a fresh perspective on two powerhouse contemporary female voices.
Presenters:
Sheila Browne
Lisa Leonard

Secrets of Playing Polyphonic Music on Viola (or Violin)
2026-06-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Room 108/Large Band Room (Music)
Playing simultaneous melodies in double stops or hidden polyphony in single musical lines of Baroque pieces often presents technical and musical challenges. Most solo works by Bach, Telemann, and other Baroque composers are full of such difficulties, not only in fugal music and works of complex textures with multiple independent voices, but also in dances and other movements. Yet, a few simple guidelines and technical secrets make performances of multi-voice compositions much more understandable for listeners and much simpler for performers themselves.
The part 1 of the workshop will consist of explanation and demonstration of simple techniques and rules, with all participants being able to follow the examples on the handouts.
Part 2 of the session will engage participants in a guided practice of each (secret) technique using simple short excepts from solo works by Bach and Telemann. No advance preparation will be needed for attendees to fully participate in the process. Music will be provided to participants via handouts.
The workshop will conclude with a 10-minute Q&A session, during which other questions or concerns could be addressed and discussed.
Presenter:
Mikhail “Misha” Galaganov

Teacher in Residence: Peter Slowik’s Approach for Mastering Fingerboard Geography, Shifting, and Spiccato
2026-06-04 15:30 - 16:30 | B71 (Music Building)
A popular phrase these days is “there is no such thing as advanced technique – only advanced applications of basic technique.” The pathway to artist-level viola playing is predicated on mastery of a significant number of “basic” techniques.
This presentation is part of a larger project that is currently being undertaken by Peter Slowik and Lauren Hodges. This project will gather a variety of Slowik’s significant technical ideas, presenting them in formats that can benefit players and teachers beyond his immediate viola studio at Oberlin Conservatory (or AVS workshops!) The completed project will include printed text and a companion website with teaching videos focusing on several aspects of viola technique. Feedback from this workshop will be used to focus the upcoming dissemination of information.
Professor Slowik has had an extensive career as a performer and teacher at institutions such as Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University, Indiana University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. A former president of AVS and founder of Credo music festival, Slowik has placed students into prominent academic and orchestral positions nationwide. Mr. Slowik is widely regarded as one of the leading viola pedagogues of his generation.
Slowik’s 45 years of teaching experience has given him the opportunity to distill some of viola pedagogy’s most vexing problems into sequential pathways – a “prescription” to follow to master the concept. These pathways start by identifying the basic problem, sort it into digestible segments, and then applying exercises to master each segment of the problem. In this session Slowik will share insight into Fingerboard Geography, Shifting, and Spiccato.
Lauren Hodges, Associate Professor of Viola at the University of Florida, has done extensive pedagogical projects based on the teachings of Paul Rolland and Karen Tuttle, and she is helping Slowik organize, compile, and record pedagogical materials for posterity.
Presenters:
Peter Slowik
Lauren Hodges

AVS Shared Recital: Emerging Artists
2026-06-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Recital Hall (Forbes)
Performers:
Noah Bowles
Sasha Bult-Ito
Jacob Clewell

AVS General Board Meeting; Open to All Attendees
2026-06-04 16:30 - 17:30 | Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
All festival attendees are invited to attend the American Viola Society General Board Meeting. This open session offers an opportunity to learn more about the Society’s current initiatives, future plans, and ongoing work in support of the viola community. Members and attendees are encouraged to observe, engage, and share their perspectives as part of an open and collaborative dialogue.

Signature Artist Evening Concert: Rudolf Haken — The Electric Viola Unbound
2026-06-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Concert Hall (Forbes)
with the AVS Festival Orchestra
conducted by Dr. Omelchenko
Signature Artist Rudolf Haken presents an electrifying evening showcasing the extraordinary expressive range of the electric viola. Featuring his original Concerto in F and the virtuosic VIPER Concerto, alongside his innovative arrangement of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4, the program bridges centuries of musical tradition and cutting-edge performance. With dynamic arrangements of works by Stevie Wonder and Daft Punk—incorporating talk box, looping, and extended techniques—this concert explores new sonic possibilities and redefines the boundaries of viola performance in the 21st century.
Performer:
Rudolf Haken
Dr. Kira Omelchenko
2026 AVSF Chamber Orchestra

Mass Ensemble Rehearsal
2026-06-05 08:00 - 09:00 | Concert Hall (Forbes)

Registration
2026-06-05 08:00 - 19:00 | Forbes Center Lobby
We are so excited to welcome you to the 2026 American Viola Society Festival!
Check in and pick up your festival credentials, materials, and swag bag! Registration is the first step in your American Viola Society Festival experience at James Madison University. Attendees will receive their badge, program schedule, and all the one-of-a-kind Festival merch. Our team will be available to answer questions and help you get oriented so you can make the most of the performances, masterclasses, lectures, and special events ahead.

Sound Mind and Body: Approaches for Teaching a Mature Sound
2026-06-05 09:00 - 10:00 | Room 321 (Music)
Surface-level sound? Problems getting to the frog? Crooked bow? When learning how to have a mature viola sound, some students learn best from picturing an image, while others need to physically feel or experience the sensation. What is a teacher to do? Learn two different approaches from two different viola professors that will customize your instruction based on their learning style.
We all know that teaching students to have a more mature sound can be a challenge. There are so many complex elements that go into the magic formula for creating an artistic sound: aural perception, body balance and support, general bowing technique, bow distribution, controlling contact point, vibrato, arm weight and leverage. When teaching all of these subjects, some students respond better to imagery, while others need to physically feel the sensation in order to grasp the concept. Essentially this is the “mind vs. the body” adapted to the student’s individual learning style.
As two viola professors with strengths in each area, we will team up to give teachers a toolbox of new ideas for more fluency communicating to both visual and kinethetic learners. In this session we will take turns teaching common sound production and bowing issues using imagery to suit a visual learner and then again using props and physical motions for the kinesthetic learner. These demonstrations and ideas are applicable for all instruments and levels and could be adapted for private, group, and classroom settings. Leave the session with fresh ideas that will improve your students’ sound production and enjoyment in learning.
Presenter:
Lauren Hodges
Andrea Houde

A Rediscovered Voice: Oppel Viola Solo Suite from the WWII
2026-06-05 09:00 - 10:00 | Room 204 (Music)
This lecture-recital introduces a remarkable rediscovery in the viola repertoire: the Suite for Solo Viola (1940) by German composer Reinhard Oppel (1878–1941). Written in the final year of his professorship in music theory at the Leipzig Conservatory—just one year before his death—the work reflects Oppel’s deep engagement with the music of J.S. Bach, a subject on which he published extensively.
Following Oppel’s death, his wife concealed his manuscripts in a trunk buried underground, safeguarding them from the Nazi regime, the devastation of WWII, and later Soviet and East German authorities. In 1990, Oppel’s youngest son, Kurt, returned to Germany to recover the collection, now housed at the University of North Texas. Among these treasures was the handwritten manuscript of the Suite for Solo Viola.
The Suite comprises four movements—Adagio, Fuga, Grave, and Andante (Theme and Variations)—offering a rare example of unaccompanied viola writing from the WWII era. This presentation will examine the work’s compositional design through a Schenkerian lens, revealing its structural coherence, contrapuntal sophistication, and expressive depth. Live demonstrations on the viola will bring these analytical insights to life, highlighting how the work’s architecture shapes its performance.
Given the scarcity of substantial solo viola works before 1940, and the fact that much music composed during the war did not survive, Oppel’s Suite represents both a significant historical recovery and a high-quality artistic contribution to the mid-20th-century repertoire. Sharing this work not only restores an overlooked voice but also enriches the expressive possibilities available to today’s violists.
The presentation will conclude with a complete performance of the Suite for Solo Viola, followed by an audience Q&A.
Presenter:
Penny Tong

Exploring Movement: An Introduction to Body Mapping for Musicians
2026-06-05 09:00 - 10:30 | Room 1270/Dance Theater (Forbes)
This interactive workshop will be an introduction to Body Mapping, a somatic modality which grew out of the Alexander Technique. Developed by Barbara Conable in the 1990s, Body Mapping helps musicians optimize movement and sound by exploring how the body functions. Body maps are constructs in the brain which result in habitual movement, whether productive or harmful. They are driven by our perception of how our bodies are structured and sized and how they function. The good news is that body maps can change. By exploring movement and educating ourselves, we can replace our inadequate maps with informed ones. This work can lead to general improvement in our movement, and more specifically to a more coordinated and eﬃcient movement, all in an eﬀort to assist us on our journey to reduce and prevent discomfort, pain, and injury. Participants should come dressed comfortably and prepared to move!
Presenter:
Juliet White-Smith

The Incomplete Rolla Viola Concerti
2026-06-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Room 318 (Music)
This lecture explores nine little-known viola concertos by Alessandro Rolla that survive in incomplete form, offering a rare glimpse into both the challenges and possibilities of reconstructing lost repertoire. These works fall into three categories: four concertos with only the solo part extant (BI. 329, 552, 553, 554), three partially completed concertos (BI. 542, 548, 555), one concerto missing its solo part, and one with only a few missing bars (BI. 541).
I will focus on the research and editorial process behind completing and publishing BI. 541, 542, 548, and 555 with Gems Music Publications. Participants will gain insight into the detective work required to bridge gaps in manuscript sources—examining Rolla’s compositional style, harmonic language, and formal structures to ensure stylistic integrity. I will discuss how I identified and reconstructed missing sections, resolved ambiguous notation, and prepared performance-ready editions while retaining scholarly transparency.
The session will also address practical considerations for performers and editors facing incomplete works: determining when reconstruction is feasible, balancing historical accuracy with modern playability, and making editorial decisions visible to the user. Audio and score examples will illustrate the transformation from fragmentary source to complete, performable concerto.
AVS Festival attendees can expect to leave with:
A deeper appreciation of Rolla’s contribution to the viola repertoire.
A practical framework for approaching incomplete historical works.
Awareness of newly available editions that expand the performer’s concerto options.
By reviving these neglected concertos, we not only enrich the viola’s repertoire but also honor Rolla’s enduring legacy, offering today’s violists fresh opportunities to connect with a composer whose music bridges the Classical and Romantic eras.
Presenter:
Kenneth Martinson

Peggy Glanville-Hicks’ Concerto Romantico: increasing access to study and performance through the creation of an engraved edition
2026-06-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Room 142/Choir Room (Music)
Peggy Glanville-Hicks’ Concerto Romantico for Viola and Chamber Orchestra is a powerful gem of viola writing that most violists have never heard. Premiered in 1957 by Walter Trampler, Concerto Romantico has been inaccessible to most violists for performance and study. It was previously only published as a photocopy of a handwritten manuscript, error-ridden and presumed lost, utilizing the composer’s earlier-sketched short score in lieu of a piano reduction. In addition to the parts being hard to read in this format, there are also inconsistencies between the short score, the solo viola part, and the full orchestral score. In collaboration with Peters Edition, the current copyright holder, and the Glanville-Hicks Trust, I have undertaken a project to engrave the viola part and transform the short score into a piano reduction consistent with the full orchestration to formalize a new edition of the work. In this lecture recital I will share background information on this hidden gem of viola repertoire, the value it contributes to current standard repertoire, its educational value and opportunities for insertion into the repertoire of developing players, and my process of creating a new edition. The lecture will conclude with a performance of the new edition of Peggy Glanville-Hicks’ Concerto Romantico, arranged for viola and piano.
Presenter;
Roselyn Hobbs

Beyond the Studio: Second-Generation Voices on Karen Tuttle Coordination
2026-06-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Room 108/Large Band Room (Music)
Karen Tuttle’s Coordination has profoundly influenced generations of violists, emphasizing physical ease, emotional awareness, and expressive authenticity. While many of Tuttle’s direct students are now established figures in the field, a growing number of second-generation teachers are extending her legacy— interpreting and evolving her ideas to meet the needs of contemporary students and performance environments.
This panel features several of these second-generation Coordination teachers— violists who studied with Tuttle protégés including Susan Dubois, Jeffrey Irvine, Michelle LaCourse, Lynne Ramsey, Karen Ritscher, and Carol Rodland. Drawing on their diverse experiences as performers and educators, the panelists will reflect on how they integrate Coordination principles into their teaching, how they adapt these concepts for students with varied backgrounds and needs, and how they maintain the spirit of Tuttle’s work while allowing it to grow.
The conversation will consider what it means to inherit an important pedagogical lineage, how to incorporate Coordination into technical and musical instruction into the studio, and how Tuttle’s ideas have evolved as they are passed down through different institutions and cultural settings. Panelists will share practical strategies and explore how to preserve the integrity of Tuttle’s approach while allowing space for individual interpretation and development, and explore how the method resonates with today’s students.
The session will include live demonstrations of teaching strategies and exercises, in addition to moderated discussion and audience Q&A. It aims to engage performers, teachers, and students alike in a dynamic conversation about the continued relevance— and creative future— of Tuttle Coordination in the 21st century.
Presenter:
Daphne Gerling
Katherine Lewis

Bach, Brain, and Bow Mileage: The Pedagogy of Bruno Giuranna
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Room 321 (Music)
This lecture explores the influential teaching legacy of renowned violist Bruno Giuranna, whose contributions to viola pedagogy have shaped generations of performers and teachers worldwide. Through a structured exploration of his teaching style, technical insights, and interpretative philosophies, the presentation offers a comprehensive view of Giuranna’s lasting impact on the viola world.
The presentation will address the following key points:
• Biography
A brief overview of Giuranna’s life and career, including key milestones in his development as both performer and teacher.
• Giuranna’s Teachers
An exploration of the pedagogical lineage that shaped Giuranna’s own musical foundations.
• Approaches to Right and Left-Hand Technique
A discussion of Giuranna’s methodical approach to both hands, focusing on how he cultivated relaxed, efficient, and musical playing in his students.
• Favorite Etude Books
Insight into the technical exercises and etude books, Giuranna prioritizes with his students to develop both technique and musical sensibility.
• Approaches to the Study of the Viola Repertoire
An overview of how Giuranna taught, emphasizing a logical progression in the choice of repertoire from more approachable to more challenging.
• Giuranna’s Revision of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites arranged for Viola – Comparing the Two Editions
A brief comparison of his two editions of the Bach cello suites arranged for viola, highlighting how his thinking evolved and what his editorial choices reveal about the musical logic behind his choice of bowings and fingerings.
• Interviewing Other Giuranna Students
Personal reflections and perspectives from former students, offering firsthand insight into Giuranna’s teaching style, impact, and legacy.
This session will be of particular interest to violists, teachers, and anyone engaged in string pedagogy, offering a nuanced portrait of one of the viola’s most important modern pedagogues.
Presenter:
Luca Trombetta

Amy Beach's Violin Sonata Transcribed for the Viola: An Exploration of Her Letters and Synesthesia
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Room 204 (Music)
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867–1944) stands as a monumental figure in the history of American classical music, renowned for her achievements as the first American woman to gain widespread recognition as a composer of large-scale orchestral works. Central to understanding Beach’s stylistic practices and her approach to composition is her correspondence, notably the letters housed in the A.P. Schmidt Company Archives.
The A.P. Schmidt Company archives, 1869 to 1958, are located in the Performing Arts Reading Room at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., United States. During my visit to the Library of Congress, I reviewed hundreds of correspondence between Beach and the A.P. Schmidt Company. The letters within this collection not only reveal Beach’s perspectives on music and performance but also offer a glimpse into her methods of transcribing and interpreting works. This lecture recital explores how Beach’s letters, particularly those discussing her transcription of Richard Strauss’ Serenade, can inform contemporary performance practices and guide my original transcription of her Violin Sonata, Op. 34, for the viola.
Amy Beach had synesthesia, the neurological condition where stimulation of one sense triggers experiences in another, unrelated sense. Her strong association of key to color impacted her compositions, transcriptions, and interpretations of works. By considering her preferences regarding key, expression, and technical considerations, this research will argue for maintaining the original key in the viola transcription, as well as highlighting the stylistic nuances that are integral to Beach’s work.
Presenter:
Angela Rubin

From Crane Step to Butterfly Palm: Integrating Qigong into Viola Playing by Practicing Heidi Castleman’s ‘Strings with Qigong’
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Room 1270/Dance Theater (Forbes)
In this workshop, I will explore the profound benefits of Qigong for viola players, emphasizing physical wellness and enhanced performance. Qigong, an ancient Chinese practice involving gentle movements and breath control, fosters relaxation and improves posture. It observes nature for models of movement and sound, particularly inspired by animals like tigers, bears, birds, dragons, and butterflies. It acts like rocket fuel for a musician, as both Qigong and playing a string instrument are centered around the vibration and flow of movement—one through sound, and the other through physical motion. I will introduce Heidi Castleman’s ‘Strings with Qigong’ project, which integrates Qigong principles into viola playing, and other instruments’ practice. Heidi Castleman will join the session remotely to demonstrate key movements and discuss their application. Attendees will gain practical insights on how to incorporate Qigong into their routines, promote holistic musicianship and address common physical challenges.
Presenters:
Nethanel Pollak
Heidi Castlemean

AVSF Ensemble Invitational
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Recital Hall (Forbes)
Selected viola ensembles take the stage in this special recital showcasing collaborative artistry and diverse repertoire. Featuring outstanding groups from the festival community, the Ensemble Invitational celebrates the richness of ensemble playing and highlights the creativity, communication, and musical partnership at the heart of viola performance.
