JAVS Summer 2025

From the Editor

Dearest friends of the alto clef persuasion,

As your Editor, I’ve had the great privilege of curating this issue—but I’ve also been wearing another hat: that of Festival Coordinator for the 2026 American Viola Society Festival, to be held at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Planning is already well underway! I’ve been connecting with our partners on campus—including Dean Rubén Graciani, our wonderful host Diane Phoenix-Neal, and conductor Dr. Kira Omelchenko, who will lead two of our Signature Artist Recitals with chamber orchestra. We’re thrilled to be partnering with local artisans and businesses to infuse the Festival with the warmth and creativity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our festival logo, designed by Virginia artist and Eastern Mennonite University grad Melanie Pritchard, will soon adorn some truly exciting conference swag. We’ll also be unveiling our Signature Artist lineup, which traces a vibrant arc from historical elegance to contemporary expression and bold new musical explorations. Panels and roundtable programming will also dive into topics like career development, instrument craft and care, and the growing importance of trauma-informed pedagogy. And for the adventurous, we’ll have new electric viola workshops, demonstrations, and shops that promise to spark fresh inspiration. Keep an eye on the upcoming JAVS and the AVS social media channels, there’s so much more to come, and a save-the-date is headed your way soon. Whether you are a student, professional, teacher, researcher, or lifelong viola enthusiast, we can’t wait to welcome you to what’s next. Until then, may this issue offer you moments of discovery, delight, and deeper connection. Thank you for being part of our vibrant and ever-evolving viola community.

Summer is often a time of reflection and

reconnection—a chance to listen more deeply, breathe more fully, and return to what grounds and inspires us. This season’s Journal of the American Viola Society offers just that: a space where voices long overlooked, freshly discovered, or creatively reimagined come into vibrant focus.

Our feature articles explore the rich and varied world of viola repertoire and history. We begin with the introspective beauty of “Mirror of the Soul: The Viola in Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel ,” then turn to “The Viola as Prima Donna,” which traces the operatic spirit woven into some of the instrument’s most iconic early works. Finally, “Viola Behind the Iron Curtain”— part one of a mini-series by the author—opens a window into a powerful archive of Soviet-era compositions—newly unearthed, deeply expressive, and poised to reshape our understanding of the viola’s voice and legacy. In our departmental articles, we continue exploring voice and identity through pedagogy and history. “In the Studio: Finding Your Voice” reveals how arts integration—where music, storytelling, and cross-disciplinary creativity merge— can empower students in transformative ways. “History and Heritage: The Forgotten Instrument” brings the ancient lira da braccio to life, highlighting this overlooked ancestor of the modern viola and reminding us that our roots are often deeper and more poetic than we imagine.

Warmly,

Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc

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. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue

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