JAVS Spring 2013

astonishing experience for me. I will definitely attend future congresses.” Georgina Rossi , MSM Viola Performance student, former Catholic university of Chile precollege student “This was my first viola congress. I had not even heard about them before, since last year was only my third year in the uS, the first of which was spent in a boarding school in northern Michigan, where I did not hear about a few things from the ‘outside world.’ My main reason for attending the congress was the young Artist Competition. My teacher mentioned it at the beginning of the school year, and I thought I’d give it a try. I never imagined I would get past the first round; I was pleasantly surprised to be a semi finalist. Although I did not make it to the final round, I appreciate the opportunity I had (I was very excited that my family in Chile could watch me per form on the live webcast!). It was a learning experi ence from beginning to end: from having to spend a night at JFK because a storm made my flight get canceled to casting lots for the competition, keeping the nerves at bay, and staying focused for my per formance among all the festivities. This really felt like a celebration of the viola. It was very exciting to see so much going on, sometimes simultaneously (kudos to the Eastman viola faculty for the great organization!). I tried to go to as many performanc es, presentations, and panels as possible, but some times I felt that I may have missed out on a few things (such as listening to my former classmates from Ms. Knuth’s class) because of the competition. From the things I could attend, I really enjoyed Mr. Klorman’s lecture on the relationship between

Brahms’s Sonata in F Minor, op. 120, no. 1 and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (two very significant pieces in my life), as well as the panel on the legacy of Karen Tuttle. It was beautiful to see all of the famous Tuttle teachers together, almost like siblings; seeing them sitting right next to each other made me think: ‘Wow! These are THE people you want to learn from!’ In spite of my limited participation at the con gress and my occasional decisions to stay in to prac tice or get sleep, I don’t regret anything; as a ‘first timer,’ I took everything as a learning experience.” Penelope Knuth, a native New Yorker, studied first at the Dalcroze School with Eugenie Dengel. After high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy, she received the Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University (Bloomington) and the Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. Her viola teachers have included William Lincer, Walter Trampler, David Dawson, and Emanuel Vardi. Knuth has held the position of Principal Violist of the Chile Chamber Orchestra since 1994 and has served as Associate Professor of Viola Performance at Chile’s Pontifical Catholic University since 2006. Sergio Muñoz , NEC Viola Performance student, former Catholic university of Chile precollege student

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