JAVS Fall 2011

MinnesotaViola Society

“i” (1996); Levi Comstock playing Timothy Baxter’s Idyll (1972); Ryan Vold, along with Jonathan Seaberg playing Five Irish Folk Tunes by howard Ferguson; Valerie Little playing two Brazilian works, Meloritmias No. 5 by Ernani Aguiar and Divertimento for Solo Viola by José Guerra Vicente; Natalie Alper-Leroux with Lynette Eastwold, piano, playing Allegro Appassionato for Viola and Piano (1908) by Frank Bridge; and to top off the program in grand style, the Bethel Viola Quartet (Caroline Belcher, Michael Ouverson, Kari Peterson, and Ryan Vold) played La Folia Variations arranged by violist Michael Kimber. If all of this were not enough, the event concluded with a yummy reception with a viola-congress style playing of many violas that were for sale. We wish to acknowl edge generous support from Bethel university, the university of Minnesota, and instrument shops and luthiers in the area: Claire Givens Violins, house of Note, John R. Waddle Violins, and Scott Studios.

Successfully reaching out to a broad range of violists in the Twin Cities community, the Minnesota Viola Society, led by President Dawn Anderson, hosted a mid-winter event entitled Lesser-Known Gems for Viola at Bethel university in St. Paul, Minnesota, back on Feb 21, 2010. It was an exquisite opportunity to introduce our audience to precious music that is not the “same-old, same-old,” and from all walks of life, our venue was crowded with violists! Prominent Twin Cities viola teachers Dr. Lynda Bradley-Vacco, Levi Comstock, Korey Konkol, Dr. Valerie Little, and Richard Marshall along with their selected students not only performed lesser-known works for viola, but also led discussions about the works, complete with tips, logistics, and insider-notes. highlights from the afternoon included Daniel Erdmann playing the mov ing self-composed piece “Largo” from his Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (2009) with pianist Bryon Wilson; Anna Kummer playing several dramatic movements from Alexander Nagy’s Six Bagatelles for

– Dawn Anderson, past-president

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