JAVS Fall 2011

IVS N EWS IVS P RESIDENT ’ S M ESSAGE

I am currently working with the IVS Board and the IVS Assembly of Delegates to adopt measures that I believe will greatly help the sol vency and future of the International Viola Society. Firstly, I am working with legal profession als to obtain not-for-profit status for the IVS in the united States, which should allow us more eligibility for outside funding (for instance, dona tions of airline tickets for board officers’ and IVC artists’ travel). Additionally, I am looking at cre ative ways for the IVS to raise rev enue to help administer certain aspects of the congress. Finally, I am working on bylaws legislations that would add a small mandatory “Congress Fee” (of about $1–2 per member) for all members world wide, which will go directly toward either funding the congress or serv ing as an emergency coffer if the congress runs into debt problems due to unforeseen circumstances. As members of the arts community, we are (hopefully) aware of how a mandatory (very small) contribu tion from all taxpayers can help to sustain arts programs that receive federal grants. By the time this article goes to print, we will have held our suc cessful International Viola Congress XXXIX in Würzberg, Germany, with hosts Emile Cantor and Karin Wolf. It gives me great honor to announce that the 2011 Silver Alto Clef Award has been

Currently, we are wrapping up a relief project for Talca, Chile, which had been hit with a devas tating earthquake on February 27, 2010. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the Chile relief effort can do so at http://www.internationalviolasoci ety.org/chilirelief/. So far we have secured over ten instruments and $1000 to help replace damaged instruments from the earthquake. The most important responsibility of the International Viola Society is the oversight of the annual inter national viola congress. As the worldwide economy has been tightening, especially for musicians and educational institutions, it has been increasingly difficult to secure venues, sponsorship, and regis trants to make these events occur successfully. having served on the AVS and IVS boards, I have also been acutely aware of the burden some responsibility that has been placed on the shoulders of the con gress host. Since I view it as my responsibility as leader of the IVS to ensure the long term success of the organization, and much of that success is due largely to the mem bership created by holding interna tional viola congresses, I feel the need to review the system for funding these congresses, which I can say with complete confidence the overwhelming majority of worldwide members of the IVS would love to see continue.

It is with great honor and great pleasure that I write you as the new President of the International Viola Society, a post I assumed on January 1, 2011, after having spent the previous three years as the Secretary of the International Viola Society and four years as Secretary of the American Viola Society. While growing up as a young vio list, I revered the American Viola Society and everything it did, and it was a dream of mine to be involved in such a fantastic organi zation. One of the many missions of the International Viola Society is to serve as a conduit for International Aid to grief-stricken areas of the world in the form of musical and monetary offerings. In the past, the IVS has been helpful in providing material and monetary donations to South Africa and Iraq.

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