JAVS Spring 2023

From the Editor

Dearest readers, There is a lot of joy with being the Editor of this amazing Journal—the people I get to meet, the different worlds I get to sneak a peek at, the amount of alto love I get to experience on a regular basis.

American Viola Society , or by submitting to the David Dalton Research Competition , musicians are immortalizing something, curating knowledge and ideas for current and future violists to use as a launchpad for their own adventure forward. Our two featured articles, are example of this: with Carolyn Waters Broe’s article researching a “Compendium of Women Composers” that utilized the viola, to former JAVS Editor Andy Braddock’s article on “Arthur Bliss’s Viola Sonata,” highlighting the magnificent and underplayed work. Look into the “Evolution of the Bow” by Dr. Rayen Sakka, and then mix it up with some quirky and exciting new etudes in “Scale Tales” by Elaine Fine; and read on to find so much more on mindfulness, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Lament, and money management. And as you delve into the world of violists and everything alto clef, I hope all these stories come to life for you as well. Because each of these articles began with a person and an idea. And that idea has now created a ripple effect in the community. No matter how small it may seem, Dr. Dalton would agree that even the tiniest wave for the right reason was worthwhile. And tiny waves can one day grow into waves big enough to surf across. So, keep playing, keep writing, keep researching and crafting and teaching and composing. And when you are ready to send a ripple across the community, my inbox is always open.

I’m a reader, and the more I delve into the captivating world of violists, the more the stories come to life and people become more than just names in an inbox or a mention in a program. It is impossible to express just how profoundly affected so many in our community are by the passing of Dr. Dalton; but even more than that—how affected so many of us are by his life . Not only was Dr. Dalton a phenomenal performer, he was also an advocate for the arts, a curator of viola archives, a scholar, a pedagogue, a writer, and a beloved friend and colleague to so many. To say that his impact is still strongly felt in the community can’t possibly be overstated. As I perused this Journal’s contents, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing scholars, performers, and musicians who are also having their own impact on the viola community—and how that was the goal Dr. Dalton had hoped for when he was Editor many years ago. Whether realized or not, by contributing to the Journal of the Which brings me to Dr. David Dalton.

V/r, Christina Ebersohl Editor

Join the American Viola Society Your membership supports the viola community through performance, education, research, mentoring, publishing, commissioning new works and more. www.americanviolasociety.org/Join.php

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 1, Spring 2023

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