JAVS Summer 2014

Composer Matthew Browne and violist Jarita Ng after the performance of Exit, Purused by a Bear , winner of the Third Biennial Maurice Gardner Composition Competition (photo courtesy of the author) The 10:30 a.m. AVS General Membership Meeting attracted more attendees then I have seen in any previous years, and like the Chapters Meeting the day before, many useful suggestions about the future of the organization were raised. The final festival session at 12:30 p.m. offered a panel of California violists building on the theme of community that ran through several prior sessions. Donald McInnes talked about high school teachers and the importance of helping students choose the best schools. The many bits of advice that he shared were fodder for discussion by the audience. Janet Lynch next emphasized that teaching in the public schools can be rewarding musically and monetarily. Particularly interesting was the point that many primary and secondary education string programs are led by non-string players, eliciting a comment from an audience member about how many young college violists look down on Music Education as a major (and career path). Ethan Filner rounded out the session by highlighting the many activities that the Northern California Viola Society (NCVS) has been doing to build community, including their well-attended ViolaManias, Young Artist Competition, Viola Salons, and commissions. The success of the NCVS had been noted several times previously throughout the festival, with many attendees seeing it as a model for what violists can do at the local level to build awareness of the viola. The Primrose Competition Finals and Awards Ceremony The finals for the Primrose Competition Finals started at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and featured each of the finalists performing with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Heiichiro Ohyama. Manuel Vioque-Judde started off with a nice version of Britten’s Lachrymae , though it lacked the character that he brought to works in earlier rounds. Cong Wu next played the Handel Casadesus Concerto, featuring a lovely and melancholy tone in the second movement, surrounded

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