JAVS Spring 2001

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AVS CHAPTERS

planning a viola day in March at the University of Northern Iowa, which will focus on pedagogical aspects of the viola. We envision master classes and presentations on such topics as viola technique for the younger student; repertoire for student violists; and aspects of performance. The day will con clude with a recital of the "teachers" perform ing the "student" works, to turn the tables for once and let the students hear how we would do it ourselves. Hopefully this will be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Our initial meeting concluded with a potluck dinner, which we hope to make an annual tradition. All in all, it was a great day and we are very excited about finally having this chapter set up! After all, Bill Preucil is the Czar of Chapters-it would be a pretty bad example if we didn't have a chapter in his home state! The IaVS would like to encourage anyone interested in viola activities in the Iowa area to join. Our dues are $10 ($5 students). Hopefully joining local chapters will be easier this year with the new AVS membership application process, which will include chap ter membership application and renewals. We welcome everyone, and we look forward to a productive and active society. -Christine Rutledge, fa VS President

After months of planning, the Iowa Chapter of the American Viola Society has been formed! On September 17, 2000, we congre gated at the home of Christine Rutledge in Iowa City, with people coming from all over the state of Iowa. We elected officers and board members and wrote our bylaws. It was an amazing turnout-much more than we expected. The supportive atmosphere and "viola-friendliness" were abundant. We now have over twenty charter members, with new members trickling in. The IaVS (so as not to be confused with the International Viola Society) decided that our membership area would include the state of Iowa and its contiguous states. I think we now have some space filled in between the Chicago Viola Society and the Rocky Mountain Viola Society areas, so, all of you people in Nebraska, come on over! Lots of excellent ideas about future events and activi ties were tossed about. These ideas included: a competition for young violists; commis sioning projects (one of our members is also a composer); master classes; and a viola day. We decided that we would start by sponsor ing a ~eception for Jeffrey Irvine during his stay in Iowa City where he is presenting a master class for the viola students at the University of Iowa this winter. We are also

ing Kirsten Docter, Marcia Ferritto, Jeffrey Irvine, Carol Ross and Peter Slowik. The event was hugely successful and the OVS is cur rently preparing the Second Annual Viola Day to be held March 2001. Also in April, viola enthusiasts as well as Bach enthusiasts were delighted to hear a recital by the English violist Simon Rowland-Jones.

The Ohio chapter of the American Viola Society sponsored several events throughout Y2K. In April, the OVS joined with the Ohio String Teachers Association to present Viola Day. Middle school and high school students in Northeast Ohio gathered for an afternoon of ensemble reading sessions and recitals by some of the area's prominent teachers, includ