JAVS Fall 2023

It was so exciting to see viola students from all over the world getting to meet each other, make friends, and share in these unforgettable days. Whilst I enjoyed all the presentations, masterclasses, and workshops presented at the Congress, by far my favorite part of the IVC was meeting and connecting with the other students who were in attendance! Throughout the conference, I had the chance to talk with students from all over the world. We all talked about our musical upbringings and meaningful experiences. Even across several continents and quite a few languages, we were all able to connect and share what made playing viola so special to us. It feels great to know now I have friends in every corner of the globe! - Jackson Guthrie, University of Tennessee student attendee By the last day, we were ready to celebrate the abundance of viola offerings with a majestic closing concert at Prince Mahidol Concert Hall, where Ettore Causa and Aibek Ashirmatov both gave beautiful solo performances with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Many pictures, fond farewells, and congratulatory toasts were made at the Congress Banquet, including the presentation of the International Viola Society’s Silver Alto Clef to Michael Kimber (received in absentia.)

São Paulo, Brazil. We are all so thankful to the amazing Congress team headed by Danny Keasler, Marcin Szawelski, Juckrit Charoensook, and their Dean, Narong Prangcharoen.

I cannot wait until we meet again!

I had a really great time at IVC! It was my first time attending a viola Congress and everything really exceeded my expectations. All the lectures I attended were interesting and engaging and knowing that almost everyone there was a violist definitely made it a lot more intimate. One thing that I found extremely worthwhile was attending the masterclasses. Just by listening and observing, I learned a lot about how people from other countries think about solo repertoire and how those thought processes might be similar or different from an American viewpoint. Overall, I’d have to say that my favorite part of the Congress was getting to hear performances by violists from many different countries. All the performances left me awed and further inspired to keep doing what I love – viola! - Shanya Chynwat, University of North Texas student attendee

Thank you to the IVC Congress Host team!

Many Congress participants stayed in Thailand to travel and explore the region’s beautiful mountains and beaches for a few more days, while some headed into nearby Bangkok to take in the cityscape and night markets before returning to their homes. But nearly everyone started to make plans to reunite in 2024—at the AVS festival at Colburn, and the 49th IVC in Campinas, Group picture of several congress participants after the closing concert at Prince Mahidol Concert Hall, photo courtesy of Daphne Gerling.

Footnotes: 1 Countries represented at the 48th IVC—though this may not be a comprehensive list! —include: Thailand, China, Germany, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Italy, Taiwan, Poland, United States, Hong Kong, Turkey, Holland, Austria, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Norway, Algeria, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Malaysia, Latvia, Uzbekistan, and Portugal.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 2, Fall 2023

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