JAVS Fall 2024

The normal course of organization of a congress turned when it was learned that the Air Force Orchestra was not available to perform concerto accompaniments. They had been a fixture for each of the previous U.S. Congresses (except the 1989 Redlands Congress). Roger, not without resources, explored every option, unsuccessfully. Roger brilliantly organized four very special evening recitals: Lars Anders Tompter, Lillian Fuchs Memorial Concert, Joseph de Pasquale Tribute Concert and ending the congress with a recital by Paul Neubauer. Nary a soul was disappointed.

with him at my audition, I felt as if I had just encountered a wizard; with one adjustment to the angle of my right forearm, my sound was amplified by two. My choice had been made. I came to Texas knowing absolutely nobody – I had no family in the state, and nobody from my hometown of Santa Monica went to the University. From our first lesson, I felt like I had somebody in my corner. We would talk about living in Southern California, connecting over shared places and stories, and him chuckling at my adolescent accounts of the city, both of us knowing I had so much left to learn. With each lesson, I felt a little bit more at home. I would soon learn that, in addition to a deep knowledge of everything about the viola and its history, he had an unending curiosity about the world around him. Our lessons would often start with an unplanned mini-history lesson about any given topic: The Latin language, the etymology of humans, the culture of his home country. He was my teacher through COVID, where we held lessons over zoom for a year and a half. How he managed to teach me so much through a screen can only be explained by his brilliance and dedication to his students, no matter the circumstance. He was my teacher through the 2021 Texas winter storm, where he checked in with me every day without fail. Throughout all the changes and experiences that going to college for the first time brings, he remained a constant, and kept me anchored to my music. His deep commitment to the art of music making, its history, and his curiosity about the world, past and present, was one of a kind. He challenged me every day, musically and intellectually. Our relationship was complicated and important. He pushed me in ways that I didn’t understand, and, many times, in ways I couldn’t justify. I came out on the other side of my degree transformed in more aspects than I expected. He was there every step of the way, even as he battled his illness–the final and most profound display of his dedication to us. Our last exchange of messages was only a few weeks before his passing. I told him that I had advanced to the finals of a competition and was going onto my second grad school audition; he shared with me his plan to retire at the end of this school year, and happiness at my news.

Well done Roger - we will miss you!

-Thomas Tatton - friend and colleague

“Quite simply, we lost a legend. To know Roger Myers was to know someone truly larger than life, a Titan. He exuded knowledge and confidence that was utterly magnetic. Being in his studio required a continuous search for knowledge and a never-ending pursuit of excellence.”

-Brett Detweiler

Roger Myers and Ella Hammersly.

“There’s not much that I can say about Professor Myers that hasn’t already been said. I’m not sure that my words can even do justice to encapsulate the man that he was.

I studied with Professor Myers from 2019 to 2023, during my undergraduate at UT Austin. Leaving my trial lesson

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 2, Fall 2024