JAVS Spring 2022

Quarter-final rounds were held on Monday and Tuesday of the competition week, and each performer presented a short program including: 1) A full movement or movements of the one of the following works: Ligeti Solo Viola Sonata , Bach/ Kodaly Chromatic Fantasy , any Hindemith Solo Sonata, or any Reger Suite for Solo Viola 2) Performed with piano, a transcribed piece for viola (either by Primrose or the performer) or a Virtuosic piece 3) A piece for solo viola or viola and piano by a composer who identifies as Black, Indigenous or Person of Color The quarter final performances can be heard on the Colburn School YouTube channel. On Thursday, December 16, the eight semi-finalists performed the first viola part to Mozart’s String Quintet #3 in C Major, K. 515, movements III & IV with students from the Colburn School, as well as a complete major work for viola and piano. Performers could include another work of their choice to complete a program up to 50 minutes in length. The 2021 PIVC semi-finalists performed in two sessions in the order shown below: Morning session: Semi-finalists: Keoni Bolding, Nicholas Swensen, Brian Isaacs, and Natalie Loughran Afternoon session: Semi-finalists: Ursula Steele, Samuel Rosenthal, Mingyue Yu, and SoHui Yun In the final round, competitors were asked to perform either the Bartók or Walton Viola Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra. On Friday, as the three finalists prepared for Saturday’s live final round, the AVS launched its first AVS Mini-Fest, a small-scale festival to complement the competition activities. Organized by AVS Past President Michael Palumbo in collaboration with Gina Coletti of the Southern California Viola Society, the two-day event included an excellent slate of session offerings and featured several instrument vendors showing a wide range of high-quality student and antique violas. Friday activities included a pre-college masterclass by Minor

Wetzel of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a spiccato workshop by Hillary Herndon, and a panel discussion on efficient practicing featuring Ames Asbell, Paul Coletti, and PIVC jury members Victoria Chiang and Mai Motobuchi. Jury members Andrés Cárdenas and Daniel Heifetz also provided sessions on combining university and performance careers and emotional projection in music, respectively.

PIVC Finalists (L-R): Nicholas Swensen, Natalie Loughran, and Samuel Rosenthal.

The final round of the Southern California Viola Society Youth Competition was held in the afternoon, featuring seven outstanding young performers invited to perform in person after a competitive pre-screening round. Davin Mar was named first prize winner for his performance of the Enescu Knozertstück for Viola and Piano. Second prize was shared between Arian Gael Cázares, who performed the Bruch Romanze and Samuel Tatsuki, who performed the Carl Maria von Weber Andante e Rondo Ungarese . Ian Kim and Logan Purser received Honorable Mentions for their performances of the Robert Schumann Adagio and Allegro , op. 70 and the JC Bach Viola Concerto in C minor , mvt 3, respectively. On Friday evening, festival attendees were treated to a wonderful recital by PIVC jury members Dimitri Murrath and Victoria Chiang. The program opened with a beautiful and heartfelt performance of the Frank Bridge Lament for Two Violas . Mr. Murrath provided the balance of the program, including a lively, compelling Suite No. 1 in G Major by J.S. Bach, expertly rendered by heart, as well as a powerful and tender Shostakovich Sonata, ably assisted by pianist Weicong Zhang. In between these two standards, Murrath and Zhang’s rapturous rendition of Adolphus Hailstork’s Two

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