Dear Violists,
I hope everyone is having a good summer! We are well into planning Viola Day!!!! 2.0, and we are pleased to announce that renowned British violist Roger Chase will be joining us as our guest artist, offering a masterclass and presenting several performances during his visit. Please mark your calendar for Viola Day!!!! 2.0, and include the entire weekend of November 1. Here is a preliminary outline of events:
Friday, Oct. 31, 7:30 PM – Concert at Utah State University featuring Mr. Chase and the Fry Street Quartet with a mixed program of solo viola and chamber music.
Saturday, Nov. 1, 9am to 5 PM – Viola Day!!!! 2.0 at the University of Utah, featuring a masterclass by Mr. Chase, a viola ensemble concert, and a full day’s worth of events to be announced.
Sunday, Nov. 2, 7:00 PM – Roger Chase, viola with Michiko Otaki, piano. Recital in Libby Gardner Hall, University of Utah.
This will be a rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s great instruments. Mr. Chase plays the Montagnana viola once owned by Lionel Tertis and immortalized in his recordings. Sunday’s full length recital will present “The Tertis Project”, in which Mr. Chase performs music commissioned and programmed by Tertis, with whom he had the opportunity to work with as a young man. You can read more here: http://www.rogerchase.com
Please hold these dates, and share them with your friends and colleagues – more details to come!
In other news, congratulations to Claudine Bigelow and Julie Edwards for presenting at the 2014 Primrose Festival in Los Angeles, to David Dalton for receiving the Gold Alto Clef Award from the International Viola Society for the importance of his continuing contributions, and to Michael Palumbo for becoming the new President-Elect of the American Viola Society. We are incredibly lucky here in Utah to be home to such a strong community of violists.
All the best,
Brad
Bradley Ottesen
President, Utah Viola Society
Read all about Roger Chase here.
On a personal note, I love all things English Viola, so much so that I teased a friend about wanting to change my name to Winifred Copperwheat (I mean, have you ever heard such an English name, and for a violist no less?!?), so I am really exited about this opportunity to hear Mr. Chase and his legendary viola in real life.