JAVS Fall 2020

emotional recital on Saturday June 6. His recital included: Partita in D Minor by J.S. Bach, Sonata by Ligeti, and Capriccio by Vieuxtemps. Lipman’s Partita in D Minor was another major highlight of the AVS Online Festival, making an emotional impact on the Facebook viewers. Lipman also spoke about current events and their relation to both music and the viola community, again producing one of the most emotionally charged moments of the Festival. On Sunday June 7, David Rose brought the American Viola Society Online Festival to an end with a thrilling performance of all six Preludes from J. S. Bach’s six Cello Suites . Rose had originally been slated to perform the full six Bach Cellos Suites in Knoxville, and his detailed and elated performance of these works provided an apt and inspiring end to five days of truly excellent viola-centric events. The difficult decision to cancel this year’s in-person AVS Festival paved the way for the success of this virtual event, allowing the participating artists to share their scholarship and uplifting performances with viewers. Like most of the AVS members, I have attended many in-person conferences and festivals, and due to COVID-19 I have participated in many ZOOM lectures and conferences this summer. I believe that the AVS Online Festival was able to bring our community together and produce a virtual festival that captured some of the experiences of an in-person conference. These five excellent virtual events allowed AVS members to come together and to see a glimpse of the exciting sessions, performances, and lectures the AVS has planned for the 2021 American Viola Society Festival.

Prelude by Ana Sokolovic, The Child, Bringer of Light by Anna Pidgorna, and Fantasia , from Sonata Pastorale by Lillian Fuchs. I was completely drawn in by the theme of this program, which seems especially relevant during our current times. For me, Thibeault’s performance of the Fantasia , from Sonata Pastorale by Lillian Fuchs was one of the highlights of the Festival. A screen shot from Marina Thibeault’s performance at the 2020 AVS Online Festival.

The fourth event of the Online Festival featured violist Matthew Lipman, who performed an extremely

Matthew Lipman performing J.S. Bach’s Chaconne on Facebook.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 36, No. 2, Fall 2020