JAVS Fall 2011

again both on the East Coast (where we both grew up) and in the Midwest (where we both attended school) when I return to the States. Plans are also in the works to record this repertoire on CD to bring it to a wider audience as well as to continue expanding this body of repertoire by commissioning new pieces. A percussion ist at Rice was so inspired by our project that he learned Karl’s piece (the combined piano/percussion part) and played it with me on his recital. Maybe this budding repertoire will create an entirely new type of performer, the pianist/percussionist, and an exciting new genre of chamber music for violists. To view clips of these pieces, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6whSe63Qcw&fea ture= results_video&playnext=1&list=PLE6474D5934B A6DD3 (or scan the QR code below). To listen to a complete recording of Second Take by Karl Blench and Third Nature by Christopher Goddard, please visit: http://americanviolasociety.org/resources/recordings/ To view the complete scores to these two works, please visit: http://americanviolasociety.org/resources/scores/javs scores/. Molly Gebrian is currently a doctoral student in viola at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studies with James Dunham. Previously, she studied at New England Conservatory with Carol Rodland and at Oberlin College with Peter Slowik.

extremely avant-garde piece, at least we’re using instruments the audience is familiar with. Danny had essentially created a new “super piano,” and everyone was curious to see exactly what he was going to do. We had played some of the music for Mr. Dunham and a fellow studio member the night before, and it was much like playing for a children’s concert. The entire time, I was aware of them pointing at what Danny was doing, being amused and awed at the gymnastics he had to do, or wondering how he was playing a certain instrument because the foot pedal he was using was hidden from view. The concert was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Many pieces went better than they ever had, although there were also some surprises. The tam-tam we were using was larger than Danny’s, and we hadn’t rehearsed with it because it was too cum bersome to move. Because of its size, it was much louder than what I was used to, and it scared me near ly every time Danny played it. The world premiere of Chris’s piece went much better than expected, even the written-out pandemonium at the end. After the concert, we got many wonderful comments from col leagues, professors, and community members, both in person and via e-mail and text messages. Even my parents loved it, which is the measure by which I know if one of my performances of contemporary music has been successful or not. We flew out that night to Los Angeles and gave our last concert the following afternoon. It was a house concert in a lovely, intimate venue. We both agreed that it was definitely our most successful concert and the one we felt the best about. This repertoire had understandably taken longer to settle than other repeat performances I had given, but in this final con cert, I felt that we finally did justice to the great music these emerging composers had written for us. As Danny and I drove back to his home after the con cert, squeezed into the car like sardines with all the equipment in the back, we both agreed that Trios for Two was a project we wanted to continue. I am mov ing to Paris in the fall to study with Garth Knox for a year, but we are planning on performing this music

J OuRNAL OF ThE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETy 48