JAVS Spring 2022

CC : My teacher was Saul Ovcharov, a Russian immigrant who had studied at Curtis with Zimbalist. At 16 I left PR and went to Peabody. DP : Obviously you had important gains with Ovcharov to qualify for admission to Peabody. What by way of technique, musicianship, or important literature did his instruction prepare you for the next phase of your career? CC : He basically covered me with work– always pushing the envelope. Even if I wasn’t ready for something, he just kept pushing. Quite frankly, I think that was the best thing for me. I did most of my learning on the job and by sharing ideas and comparing notes with fellow musicians, but my teacher’s constant push made it so I never “sat down”– it was the mixture of the two that helped me for the next phase of life. DP : Precisely how did you transition from the PR Conservatory to Peabody? Did you actually travel to Baltimore for an audition, or was it by tape or visiting representative? CC : I did actually travel to Baltimore with my grandmother. First, we stopped in NY so I could borrow Alexander Schneider’s violin for the audition. I would play a lot for him and he wanted me to make a good impression. My violin was not very good so he gave me his for the trip. Needless to say, that was a very generous thing to do and for all the screaming he used to do, he also showed me his human side.

DP : How many recitals and at what levels were you required to perform at Peabody?

CC : If I recall I played two or three recitals per year, but I was always playing in chamber groups and around town. I kept myself very busy. I have never been a “go to the practice room person” but more of an “I’ll figure it out as we go” person.

DP : Chamber music and/or conducting?

CC : The conducting teacher at Peabody was also very kind to me. I told him I wanted to be a conductor and would he accept me in his class. He said there was a competition he held every year for his students. They all had to memorize and conduct the Danse Sacrale from the Rite of Spring with the conductors’ orchestra. He said, “if you do well at the competition, I’ll think about letting you in.” I had one week to prepare. When the time came, I actually won the competition, so he not only let me in but gave me the same attention as the Master students were getting. I couldn’t afford a major in conducting as well as a major in violin, so he allowed me to take it as a minor with the same privileges as a major. DP : Let’s take your progression from Peabody through your first professional position. To this point, we have you completing the courses of study at the Strings Program for Youth , the PR Conservatory, and the Peabody Conservatory. Take us to your next position. CC : Upon graduation I auditioned and won Concertmaster of the Annapolis Symphony, a decent position but there were problems—I quickly realized I was not making enough money to meet expenses: I could pay either my student loans or basic necessities, i.e., rent and food, but not both. CC : Now we come to the viola! The Baltimore Symphony advertised an opening for section violist. I saw the ad, and, with a borrowed viola, took and won the audition—from that moment on, I was a violist! Incidentally, I also had to buy a viola since I didn’t own one. DP : You took a professional audition on an instrument you did not play that required a clef you presumably did not read? On the surface this sounds like an act of DP : What was your next step?

DP : Presumably you were still a violinist—or had you played the viola?

CC : No—the viola was still several years in my future, but it’s getting closer.

DP : With whom did you study at Peabody and how did they help you?

CC : There I studied with Charles Libove and Shirley Givens. Libove showed me an entire new way of using my bow and approach to the instrument: the Dounis way. That lasted a year and then Libove left Peabody. I was then placed with Givens for the remainder of my time there. With her, I learned the Galamian way of things, so naturally, an entire new bow grip came into play.

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