JAVS Fall 2008

I NTERNATIONAL V IOLA C ONGRESS XXXVI T EMPE ,A RIZONA , J UNE 4-8, 2008

William Magers, a colossal figure in viola pedagogy, who was long associated with ASU. The 12:30 lecture by Jeffrey Irvine was unfortunately canceled, so the 1:30 p.m. master class with Heidi Castleman kicked off the musical events. Heidi worked with several Primrose competitors. Displaying her own unique style she had students speaking rhythms, singing, and danc ing, while targeting specific performance issues. The 3:00 p.m. event was the Tribute Recital in Honor of William Magers, featuring former students and vio lists from the southwestern United States. The high quality of playing was testament to the ability of Magers as a teacher. Kim Fredenburgh led off with an expressive interpretation of the second group from the Suite for Viola by Vaughan Williams. Jacquelyn Schwandt followed with a work for solo viola, Krakow Variations , by Joel Hoffman. This work by Hoffman, who is Professor of Composition at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, was written in 1999 and is based on material from his

Welcome sign outside the ASU Music Building (all pho tos courtesy of Dwight Pounds).

by David M. Bynog and TomTatton

Days one to three – David M. Bynog

For five days in June, violists gathered on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona for the 36th International Viola Congress. The event overlapped with the 11th Primrose International Viola Competition, which drew a record number of entrants. Nancy Buck, this year’s host chair, assembled a remarkable crew to keep the events running smoothly. The weather even cooperated nicely, barely reaching into the low 100s on a couple of days. The Phoenix area offered a host of things do, and several congress attendees took advantage of the close prox imity to the Grand Canyon to do some sight-seeing. The congress began on Wednesday, June 4 at Noon with the Opening Ceremony and Congress Dedication. This year’s congress was dedicated to Dr.

Opening ceremony participants: Back row, left to right: Kimberly Marshall, Director, ASU School of Music; Juliet White-Smith, AVS President-elect; Michael Vidulich, IVS President. Front Row, left to right: Leslie Straka, University of Oregon; William Magers, Congress dedicatee; Nancy Buck, Congress Host Chair.

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