JAVS Fall 2003

"Dating Game" style, to be judged by the assembled music aficiona dos. All the violas were to be played by a professional, and the audience would not know who had made them. At the annual shoot-out eleven years ago, Margaret Miller, the violist of the Da Vinci String Quartet, had been drafted to play the instruments. Fifteen anonymous 'bachelors' sat on a table on the stage, and one by one, the audience voted to elimi nate them from the running. When the dust cleared, two instru ments were left standing: one by Thomas Croen, and a beautiful Mantegazza, made circa 1770. When the final vote was taken, the audience was astonished to learn that they had voted a brand-new viola as king of the hill. Stradivarius has his Messiah, Del Gesu The Cannon, and from that moment forth, Croen has Killer. Three years later, when Killer came on the market, Margaret Miller jumped at the opportunity to own the instrument. She recently described her feelings about her viola. "The 1990 Croen viola that I have is a true gem. It has a warm, rich sound, and responds beauti fully. In the eight years that I have played it as violist of the Da Vinci Quartet, it has displayed a wide range of sound color and blended exceptionally well with the other instruments in the quartet. It has a beautiful varnish, and a stunning one-piece back. I consider myself very fortunate to have this viola." Tom Croen now works primarily on a commission basis. Although commissions are never easy for

either maker or player, as there are many factors to be considered. Croen's practice ofmaking only one basic model allows players to concentrate on other important features. The projected use for the instrument (orchestral playing, chamber music, solo work etc.), ideal sound, and long term goals can be taken into account and addressed by the maker. He cur rently has a one year waiting list for his instruments, which are priced at $17,000. From his home in New York, through Salt Lake City to the San Francisco Bay, Tom Croen's journey continues to yield great violas for the players of the world to enjoy. B

as beautiful as they are a joy to play. He favors slab-cut big leaf maple backs, and Alaskan Spruce tops. He covers all with deep, warm, translucent varnish. Tom Croen's path is srrewn with medals. At the Violin Society of America's International Competition in Ottawa, Canada, in 1984, he received gold medals for both his violin and viola, the latter having been owned by Ann Frederking of the Canadian Viola society for the past 20 years. Two years later, a cello that he submitted was awarded a gold medal in the VSA Competition in Portland, Oregon. With this award, he became one of the few Hor's Concour (beyond the compe titions and no longer eligible to compete), having won gold for vio lin, viola and cello. It was a long-standing tradition at a chamber music workshop in New England to have an annual "viola shoot-out", at which all the violas present would be lined up,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY 38