Viola d’what??

Professor Robert Baldwin and his Viola d'amore
Professor Robert Baldwin and his Viola d’amore

Viola d’amore, yay! (just look at that beautiful instrument, wish I had one!) Check out Dr Baldwin’s fascinating and informative post about how he came to purchase a viola d’amore after a 35 year break.
http://beforethedownbeat.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/a-grand-pause-35-years-and-14-strings-later/
Don’t miss your chance to see a real live viola d’amore in concert on Viola Day 2014! If you can’t make it, there are some other chances to see Dr. Baldwin perform viola d’amore this spring, including Wasatch Mountain Camerata on April 21, 2014, and April 27 at the Sundays at 7 concert at U of U.  Check out the Concert Schedule tab on his website for more dates!

Some additional info about Robert:

He is originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

He is currently the Director of Orchestras at the U of U and Conductor of the Salt Lake Symphony.

He recently performed Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show dressed as Captain Kirk.

AND he plays the Viola d’Amore!

 

Tatjana Mead Chamis in recital at University of Utah, Sunday, March 9, 2014

Tatjana Mead Chamis will return to Utah in March to give a recital at the University of Utah.
Her recital will be a scholarship benefit concert in honor of former Utah Symphony violist and Adjunct Professor of viola and chamber music at University of Utah.
Sunday, March 9, 2014.
7pm at Libby Gardner Hall

For more information: http://music.utah.edu/featured/tatjana.php

Additionally, she will also be giving a masterclass at BYU on Tuesday March 4, 5:00-7:00.

Hope to see you there!

A message from our President

Dear Colleagues,
Please plan to attend Viola Day!!!!2014 on Saturday, March 22! All performances will be held at Dumke Recital Hall, University of Utah. Registration will be at the door, we are asking for a $5 fee. Students under 18 are encouraged to attend at no cost. In a separate email I will include a poster – please print and post wherever you can, and forward it to those you think would enjoy the event. We need your help in getting the word out. Encourage your students, friends, and family to come, let’s invite everyone into our “Viola Society”! Here is a schedule of events:

We will start at 3:00 with a meeting, please come early and be a part of this. Because of our change of relationship with the AVS, there is a certain amount of reorganizing that needs to be done. I think we have some good ideas, but in order to have a society which can serve and inspire our members, we need input from each one of you.

At 4:00 Dr. Claudine Bigelow will be presenting her fascinating project on Bela Bartok and his 44 duos. She has been able to use Bartok’s own historic field recordings, pairing Bartok’s compositions with their inspiration from folk sources. The presentation will include live performances with the aid Utah Symphony violist Julie Edwards.

Claudine has produced a CD from this project, and at 5:00 we will host a CD release party and pizza dinner for all attendees. This is our chance to all get together – it should be a lot of fun, and a good chance to support a worthwhile creative endeavor!

The Utah Viola Society Recital will begin at 6:00, featuring solo and sonata performances from many of your friends and colleagues. This will be a full-length recital with intermission. Afterward, we will take a short break and finish with the Viola Ensemble Concert, with groups from the Utah Symphony Viola Section, Chamber Orchestra Ogden, and the several of the area universities.

Hope to see you all there,
Brad

Bradley Ottesen
Violist, Fry Street Quartet
Faculty, Caine College of the Arts
Utah State University