JAVS Summer 1998

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staying up until all hours of the night to meet the deadline. Allan Lee created the SCVS web page. (Hey, check it out!) The program committee (Laura Kuennen Poper, Jennie Hansen, Kazi Pitelka, John Scanlon, and Karen Elaine) did a fabulous job. They did everything from fielding sub missions by players and getting together groups of up to six violists for ensemble pieces, to editing bios from people who ulti mately played on the program (try editing Don Innes's bio to thirty words). A favorite bio was Cynthia Morrow's (professional vio list and professional psychotherapist!): "Been there. Done that. Probably will again." It re quired no editing. When the dust had settled, a program had evolved, comprised of three performances with a membership meeting in the middle. The date had been set for 24 May 1998. Months were needed to organize simply because the performers (there were twenty three violists who played) were members of every performing organization in the Greater Los Angeles area and we wished to attract to the membership meeting our fellow players as well as avid amateurs, students, and teachers. The only day that was fairly free of perform ing obligations was 24 May. (The Los Angeles Philharmonic had a Sunday matinee but seemed otherwise to be free until 2 p.m.) It also turned out to be Memorial Day weekend, which was probably why it was fairly free! Nonetheless, we proceeded with that date as it worked best for the most people. The location turned out to be an inspired choice. Bird Studio at Occidental College has a charming chapel-like setting. We found the acoustics in Bird to be warm and pleasing for the viola. There is pew seating that can ac commodate up to 100 or so, and although there is no antechamber for audiences to con gregate, there is a lovely stone courtyard with plants and covered walkways. The weather was gracious: EI Nifio did not rain upon us and the overcast sky kept the sun from baking us. The doors opened at 10:30, and people came and went all day long, just like a regular viola congress. We had an average of fifty to

sixty people in the audience most of the day, and we signed up many new members. We had included San Diego in our Southern Cali fornia net and a contingent of San Diegoans did show up. Vladimir Venczel-Dimitrov not only came up from San Diego for the meet ing, he got himself elected to the new board! In a show of support for our endeavor, AVS President Tom Tatton came down from the Bay Area (the AVS had contributed $250, as it will to all emerging chapters). The audience was the most exhilarating in the world . . . fellow violists! The first program was tided "Engaging the Creative Spirit: Collaborating with Com posers." All works had been commissioned by Southern California violists. The composers were all in attendance at the performance, with the exception of the late Vincent Per sichetti. Valerie Dimond and Ralph Fielding played Maria Newman's dramatic viola duo Quemadmodum. Don Mcinnes performed Alan Smith's "Four Folk Songs" with the composer at the piano, featuring the magnifi cent soprano Jessica Rivera. Vicki Miskolczy, a former student of Don Mcinnes, played Persichetti's Parable for Viola, a work written for Don. The Gaia Ensemble (violists Robin Ross, Renita Koven, Margot MacLaine, and Cynthia Morrow) performed the world pre miere of "Strings in Paradise" by Benedict Brydern, which was written in swing style with the four violas used like a sax section with occasional breakout solos. The membership meeting followed this program. We elected the following people to be officers: President, Keith Greene; Vice-President, Don Mcinnes; Secretary, Ralph Fielding; Treasurer, Janet Lakatos. A board was also elected. They are Karen Elaine, Jennie Hansen, Laura Kuennen-Poper, Simon Oswell, Vladimir Venczel-Dimitrov, David Rosen, Hannah Skupen, and Tom Metzler. The amazing and delightful quality of the elected group is that amateurs, per formers, and teachers are all represented, as well as nearly all the areas of Southern California.