JAVS Spring 2022

In Review

The 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition & AVS Mini-Fest

The 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition recently concluded with live rounds held on December 13-18, 2021, in Los Angeles, California, co-presented and hosted by the Colburn School in partnership with the American Viola Society. With stringent safety protocols implemented by the Colburn School, the 16th running of this competition, founded in 1979 by the AVS, was able to be held safely in person just as the Omicron variant was beginning to make its way across in the United States. The Colburn School has now graciously hosted the 2014, 2018 and 2021 versions of the Primrose Competition, providing the excellent support and world class facility that make it a premier competition destination for top-level competitors. The American Viola Society would like to specifically thank Colburn’s president, Sel Kardan, as well as the Colburn faculty, staff, and students for all the hard work they contributed to make the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition (PIVC) a success. Prior to the announcement of the 2021 PIVC, a seven-member committee was formed with 5 members chosen by the Colburn School and 2 by the American Viola Society to determine repertoire and jury member selection and to answer questions as they arose from competitors. The AVS was ably represented on this committee by 1993 Primrose Winner and Past President Nokuthula Ngwenyama and AVS President Hillary Herndon. The jury selected for this year’s competition included Barry Shiffman, chairman, with panelists Andrés Cárdenas, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Heifetz, Mai Motobuchi, Dimitri Murrath, and Chauncey Patterson. The competition mathematician was Dr. Moshe Renert, an expert in competition voting systems.

past and present AVS board members—Elias Goldstein, chairman, and members Ames Asbell, Renate Falkner, Molly Gebrian, and Andrea Houde—convened in summer 2021 to select twenty-four finalists to progress on to the live rounds in Los Angeles. Entrants prepared three pieces for the pre-screening round: the first movement of Stamitz or Hoffmeister Concerto, a movement of solo Bach—either a Cello Suite Prelude, first movement of a Violin Sonata or the Preludio of Partita #3—and a virtuosic piece of the competitor’s choice. In the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition live rounds, twenty-four competitors from ten countries performed in quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds in Colburn’s Herbert Zipper Hall. After nearly two years with few live performances, hearing so many incredible performances by international rising stars of the viola was a very special treat for competition live round audiences. Those who could not attend in person were able to view the livestream via The Violin Channel page or Colburn School’s YouTube channel.

Orchestra of Colburn students, alumni, and local musicians led by Salonen Conducting Fellow Molly Turner.

This year’s competition attracted 108 applicants from around the world, and a pre-screening jury composed of

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 38, No. 1, Spring 2022

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