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Primrose Memorial Concert and Bonus Masterclass with Atar Arad!

Dear Utah Violists,

January is going to be an amazing month for us alto clef lovers, stay tuned to this station for more information!

The first event is the annual Primrose Memorial Concert at BYU, which is an annual event that celebrates the life and career of William Primrose. This year’s distinguished violist is one that is near and dear to my heart, Atar Arad. Thanks to BYU and Dr. Claudine Bigelow for bringing Atar Arad out to Utah.

Atar Arad is not only one of the world’s most renowned violists, but he’s also a composer and will be performing his own compositions and arrangements at this year’s Primrose Recital. He will be performing his Solo Sonata, his set of Caprices, and his own arrangement of the Bach Chromatic Fantasy, which you can listen to on the youtubes.

The Utah Viola Society and University of Utah are pleased that Professor Arad will be taking time out of his busy Primrose activities to offer a masterclass at the University of Utah on Friday, January 23 at 4pm.

Here’s the breakdown of events:

Friday, January 23, 4-6pm: Masterclass at the University of Utah
Saturday, January 24, 10:00a-12:00p: Masterclass at the home of David Dalton in Provo. 939 North, 1550 West, Provo, UT.
Saturday, January 24, 7:30pm: Primrose Memorial Recital, Madsen Recital Hall, BYU

The best part is that these events are all FREE and open to the public! You don’t even have to play viola to get in! Anyone can come!

Here’s a little taste of Professor Arad’s Caprices:

 

 

 

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Thank you!!!

Dear everyone,

Thank you for your support of Viola Day 2.0!!!  We couldn’t do it without our sponosors! Our deepest gratitude goes to our sponsors:
Peter Prier and Sons Violins
Summerhays Music
Scoggins and Scoggins Violins
NSA Music Supplies

A huge Thank You to the University of Utah and Utah State University for their support of the Utah Viola Society!

Enormous thanks to UVS President Brad Ottesen for putting all the pieces together and making Viola Weekend happen! None of this would have happened without Brad, so please thank him when you see him! (He is the mastermind behind the alto clef cookies!)

A big, warm, rich c-string, heartfelt thank you to Roger Chase for making Viola Weekend such a huge success!  From the week at USU, to the masterclass on Viola Day, to his grace and humor and willingness to be interviewed onstage with our very special segment “Teatime with Roger.” (Very special knitterly thanks to Denise Cheung for the custom made alto clef pillows!!!) Most importantly, thanks to Roger for his incredible artistry, his genuine personality, and his unparalleled viola playing and musicianship; thank you Roger for sharing your talents with us this weekend. Thank you to Michiko Otaki for your masterful and sensitive piano playing!

And THANK YOU to every single violist, student, parent, teacher, spouse, and curious person who joined Utah Viola Society or who attended an event. Without your support and membership we couldn’t do this work for the viola community. THANK YOU!!!!!

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Viola Day 2.0!!!!! It’s tomorrow!

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, here’s what we recommend!

Tonight:  Fry Street Quartet in concert with Roger Chase, Utah State University, 7:30pm. Costumes welcome!

Tomorrow: VIOLA DAY 2.0!!!!!! Viola events at the University of Utah from 9am to 5pm, including but not limited to: Two Utah premiers, two viola trios, two viola quintets, one DMA Lecture recital, one amazing masterclass with Roger Chase,  lots of violas on display, lots of violists and lots of violas! And…wait for it….ALTO CLEF COOKIES!

(And don’t forget to set your clocks back so you can be on time for:

Sunday night: Roger Chase and Michiko Otaki in recital. The Tertis Project: works written for the great violist Lionel Tertis, including works by Bliss, Dale, Bax, and Bowen.

Members get in free to all events, so please join UVS today!

Violist Roger Chase Portraits at Studio. © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2010

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Violas, Violas, VIOLAS

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Daniel Prier shows me just a few of the violas that Peter Prier & Sons Violins will be bringing as samples.

One of the most unique things about Salt Lake City is the presence of the Violin Making School of America. Salt Lake City is home to so many fantastic luthiers. Tomorrow at Viola Day 2.0, you will have a chance to meet several local makers, play examples of their instruments, and hear Utah Symphony’s principal Violist Brant Bayless demonstrate just how lucky we are to have such a variety of great viola makers in town.

Here are some examples:

Daniel Prier of Peter Prier and Sons Violins will be bringing several violas and bows, notably a Gennaro Testore Viola from 1768, a Chardon viola, an Ada Quanranta viola from 2002, and a viola that was made by Peter Paul Prier for former Utah Symphony Music Director Joseph Silverstein in 1988. While I was there, Daniel gave me a tour of the shop. There are violas EVERYWHERE! Literally hanging from the rafters. Daniel says that if there’s a viola you want, he can get it for you.

I dropped by John Moroz‘s studio earlier this week and played a fantastic viola that he will be bringing. It’s a nearly perfect size and has a really powerful, yet still warm, big sound.

Carrie Scoggins has recently finished a viola and will be bringing it for sampling as well. I played it a couple months ago, it’s a smaller very comfortable viola but you’d never think so by the sound that it puts out. Robert Dow will also be bringing some bows to try. (Side note: I play a Robert Dow bow exclusively in the Utah Symphony, it’s a great bow that draws a great sound, and bounces effortlessly. You should get one!)

Summerhays Music will be on hand with instruments to sample. They will also have supplies on hand, so if you find yourself in need of viola strings, rosin, or shoulder rests they should be able to set you up!

Daniel Salini has a viola started that will be finished in the next couple months, can’t wait to see it Dan!

In other words, Violists, bring your checkbooks, you just might meet your next maker!

Join us on Saturday, November 1 Viola Day 2.0 at 12:45 in Thompson Hall at the University of Utah for this exhibition and demonstration of local makers and violas.

 

 

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Another day, another Utah Premiere

Photo Credit: Tanya Solomon
Photo Credit: Tanya Solomon

We are so lucky to be living in a time where there is so much great contemporary viola literature. We are especially lucky to be able to present what we believe to be two Utah premiers. White Roses for String Quintet by Christopher Burns, and a viola trio entitled “Capricious” by Scott Slapin.

Scott writes about the piece, “I studied with Emanuel Vardi from the age of 12 to 18. Mr. Vardi was the first person to record the 24 Paganini Caprices on viola (I was the 2nd.) Mr. Vardi was obsessed with the Caprices, and when the American Viola Society commissioned me to write a piece in his memory, of course I had to reference them in some way. Capricious is my own music, but there are short quotes here and there of half of the Caprices. Most recently, Capricious was performed on my 40th birthday in London, England. It has been performed by other groups around the U.S. at viola events and on the radio. Tanya Solomon (my wife), Ila Rondeau, and I premiered the piece at the Viola Congress in Rochester, NY a few years ago.”

I’ve never had the opportunity to meet Scott Slapin in real life, but I am familiar with his viola playing and composing from the internet. He plays a viola made by Hiroshi Iizuka, and when I was viola shopping and waiting, waiting, WAITING for my Iizuka viola to be finished, I watched many of his youtube videos hoping that my viola would sound as wonderful as his. He is a self-described “beer-drinking, Yiddish-speaking, bug-killing, vegan.” Not to mention a wonderful composer and violist. He and his wife Tanya are the Slapin-Solomon Duo and Studio.

Join us for the Utah premiere of Scott’s piece “Capricious” on Saturday, November 1, 3pm, Dumke Recital Hall at the University of Utah.

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Another Day, Another Viola Trio

 

 

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Meet Whittney, Joel, and Silu. They are Capricious.

 

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 honored to present our three newest members of the Utah Symphony, performing a Utah premiere of Scott Slapin‘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.

Utah Viola Society members are certainly familiar with violist Joel Gibbs, as he made his stunning UVS debut last year performing Reger’s Suite #2 for Solo Viola. He’s from St. Louis, loves hiking, and has recently taken up rock climbing. (Beware those viola playing hands, Joel!)

Whittney 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 who attended my lessons, tape 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 viola 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 on I 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?!

Silu Fei 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. He’s an avid fly fisherman, he loves spicy food and sushi, and he’s married to violist NingNing Jin who plays in the Buffalo Philharmonic. 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.”  Well, 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!

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!