![\"VlaTrio](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/utahviolasociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/VlaTrio-4-of-15.jpg\")
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One of my favorite parts of the Utah Viola Society’s Viola Day is our signature Viola Ensemble concert. Last year we featured a quartet of violists from the Utah Symphony performing the lovely York Bowen Fantasie for Four Violas<\/a>. This year we are\u00a0honored\u00a0to present our three newest members of the Utah Symphony, performing a Utah premiere of Scott Slapin<\/a>‘s viola trio “Capricious.” Joel Gibbs, Whittney Thomas, and Silu Fei will perform “Capricious” as part of Viola Day 2.0 on November 1, 2014 at the University of Utah.<\/p>\n Utah Viola Society members are certainly familiar with violist Joel Gibbs<\/a>, as he made his stunning\u00a0UVS debut last year<\/a> performing Reger’s Suite #2 for Solo Viola. He’s from St. Louis, loves hiking, and has recently taken\u00a0up rock climbing. (Beware those viola playing hands, Joel!)<\/p>\n Whittney<\/a> joined the Utah Symphony viola section last fall. She’s originally from San Diego. I love her story about how she picked the viola. She says, “I played violin from the age of 8 years old and I grew up with a hardcore stage mom\u00a0who attended my lessons,\u00a0tape recorded and took notes during my lessons, and practiced with me. I absolutely hated that I had a lack of freedom and independence within my music. But one day I tried the viola and began\u00a0viola lessons in addition to violin lessons. Much to my surprise, I noticed that whenever I practiced viola my mother would stay away and leave me to practice viola by myself. Later\u00a0on\u00a0I learned that my mother had a disdain for the viola and wanted me to solely pursue the violin, but I didn’t care because I loved my new independence and switched to viola permanently.” Viola as rebellion, who knew?!<\/p>\n Silu Fei<\/a> is our newest member in the viola section, joining us just this September. Prior to joining us here in Utah he was a member of the Oregon Symphony<\/a>. He’s an avid fly fisherman, he loves spicy food and sushi, and he’s married to violist\u00a0NingNing Jin who plays\u00a0in the Buffalo Philharmonic<\/a>. When I asked him what animal he thought he most resembled he replied, “A pig ? My wife said I can sit on couch for whole day.” \u00a0Well, I don’t know about all that, but what I can say is that I’ve never heard a piggy sound that fabulous on the viola, so perhaps that is not the most accurate assessment!<\/p>\n Join us as this trio of violists present the Utah premier of Scott Slapin’s viola trio “Capricious” on Saturday, November 1 as part of the Utah Viola Society’s Viola Day 2.0!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of my favorite parts of the Utah Viola Society’s Viola Day is our signature Viola Ensemble concert. Last year we featured a quartet of violists from the Utah Symphony performing the lovely York Bowen Fantasie for Four Violas. This year we are\u00a0honored\u00a0to present our three newest members of the Utah Symphony, … <\/p>\n