JAVS Summer 2014

F ROM THE E DITOR

The current issue celebrates another milestone: 35 years since the first Primrose International Viola Competition. David’s review of the Competition and the associated Festival show us the lasting legacy of William Primrose, while Tom Tatton’s detailed and insightful article on William Walton’s Concerto for Viola in part examines to how the performer influenced the many alterations to and versions of the concerto. My thanks to the AVS Board for allowing me this opportunity to contribute in this new role, the various departmental editors and contributors, and David Bynog, to whom I send not only thanks but also congratulations, for the Founders Award that acknowledges his contributions over the years. Best wishes, Andrew Filmer andrewfilmer@gmail.com

champions both on the concert stage and in the studio. In addi tion to this, the journal provides angles to the AVS’s history, with records of membership and the development of chapters, and even a surprisingly explosive discussion on whether viola jokes demean our community. David Bynog, who is staying on as Associate Editor, has taken much effort in digitizing these past issues and making them available to us all, and I aim to categorize and promote this excellent resource. With this in mind, the next three issues—being the thirtieth year of this journal’s publication—will feature short reflections of past issues, illustrating their relevance to conversations we continue to have today. With the theme of 30 Years of JAVS it will show how where we are going is very linked to where we have been. To start the ball rolling, I have included a brief look at our very first issue at the end of this message.

(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Yee) Salutations, fellow violists! On receiving the news that I would be taking over the editorship of our journal, I began reading past issues housed on the AVS website, and only then fully realized the role the publication has played over almost three decades. It is an extensive archive, and a significant source of research and discourse on our instrument, its repertoire, and its

V OLUME 30 S UMMER 2014 O NLINE I SSUE

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