Dear friends,
Here is a report on the International Viola Congress in Brazil. This event was filled with news and an amazing atmosphere that I hope will inspire us for our 2026 Congress in Paris! Organizing such an event involves a lot of work, but the human and artistic qualities it brings on an international level make it truly worthwhile.
The 49th International Viola Congress (IVC) took place in Brazil from July 17-21, 2024 in Campinas, a city an hour away from Sao Paulo, on the university campus (Unicamp) and more specifically in the Institute of Arts.
The theme was "Celebrating the fusion of culture, a world of music for viola", reflecting the diversity of Brazil, a country as vast as Europe, with many states, regions and cultures united by a single language: Brazilian Portuguese.
The congress was organized by ABRAV (Associaçao Brasileiras de Violistas), the Brazilian Viola Society, led by its president Emerson De Biaggi, a viola professor at Unicamp. He stated, "The viola is an instrument with a very particular voice, which has the capacity to play different roles in different situations, and so the violist is a fusion maker!
Supported by a team of Brazilian violists from different regions, they showcased an incredible art of collaboration and hospitality. Special thanks to Carlos, Fabio, Jessé, Camila, Hella, Léonardo, Adriana, Gabriela, Keroll, and others.
Meet the Brazilian Viola Society team:
Learn about their association :
Instagram:
A special mention to the viola students from Emerson's class who volunteered and were of great help during the congress!
For 49 years, the congress has been organized under the auspices of the International Viola Society (IVS), chaired by Jutta Puchhammer-Sedillot, with vice-president Karin Dolman, treasurer Emelyn Stam (from Holland), Nehir Akansu, Marcin Murawski (Poland), and Carlos Maria Solare (Berlin).
This society defines its values as follows: the IVS is the international organisation that federates and supports the National Societies and Associations of each country, led by groups of violists promoting activities that serve the global viola community.
IVS website:
Viola repertoire site:
The five-day congress welcomed 100 musicians, 24 viola societies from 5 continents, and numerous students.
The French Viola Society was represented by Françoise Gneri (honorary member and founder) and myself, Karine Lethiec, a board member.
Every year, a community of viola players from all over the world comes together, some of them regulars, others joining for the first time (Françoise and I were among them). There's a spirit of sharing, of exchange, of discovery, of conviviality, of respect for one another, of humour and joy - an art of 'living together'!
The conference was organised at an artistic venue, the university's Institute of the Arts, and a hotel just a 10-minute walking distance (La Casa of faculty members), which made it very easy to meet and exchange ideas (and to enjoy some very pleasant 'afters'...).
The Institute's facilities included a 200-seat auditorium, two presentation rooms, and classrooms across three floors.
The 5-day conference was organised around a packed schedule, starting daily at 8.30am with a viola ensemble rehearsal, culminating in a closing concert with around 80 violists performing a magnificent program, including a piece by Newton Carneiro, who conducted his own work.
The days were filled with thematic presentations, educational workshops, master classes, luthiers' and publishers' showrooms, and concerts across three venues simultaneously, offering a multitude of wonderful choices (I counted 65!). Every evening featured a 'great concert' with distinguished guests:
Jutta Puchhammer-Sedillot, who played with the Jundiai Symphony Orchestra under Claudia Feres (a fine discovery of the concerto-fantasy by Ivan EROD 1936-2019, an Austrian composer of Hungarian origin).
Renato Bandel, who played with the Unicamp Symphony Orchestra under Cynthia Alireti (a wonderful discovery of Brazilian composer Ernest Mahle, born in 1929), who was attending the congress.
Tatjana Mead Chamis, principal viola with the Pittsburg Orchestra, USA who took a sabbatical year to live in Brazil with her (ex-) husband, composer Flavio Chamis, and has just released an album entitled "Viola Brasil", from which she performed excerpts, including works by the composer (and brilliant pianist) André Mehmari.
Georgina Rossi, a Chilean violist, presented extracts from her 2 CDS:
Music for viola and piano from Chile
Music for viola and piano from Brasil (Chorinho)
Jennifer Stumm gave a recital with André Mehmari, exploring works by Britten, Dowland, Schubert, Kurtag, and Brazilian choruses.
Jennifer is American but teaches at the University of Vienna; she is the artistic director of a major project in Brazil, ILUMINA, dedicated to young musicians from South America. https://iluminamusic.com
There are 4 main themes to this congress:
• The discovery of repertoire from all over the world presented by passionate musicians who defend their works (from baroque to contemporary music, popular music, jazz...).
• Immersing in Brazil's diverse culture, music, identity, traditions, history, and cuisine.
• Meeting innovative project leaders and committed teachers presenting their initiatives and methodologies.
• Human exchanges and Sharing diverse experiences, bringing together cultures, aesthetics, and generations.
Highlights include the music written and performed by Lithuanian singer-violist Povilas Syrrist-Gelgota, who is leading a fine project based on the popular Norwegian repertoire:
And Emelyn Stam's VIO-LATINO project, based on South American creations that he has inspired:
The discovery of traditional New Zealand music using instruments from the Maori culture (Ariana Tikao and Rob Thorne).
The presentation given by Hella Franck, professor at the University of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, accompanied by this document "Student-centered teaching and the development of self-regulated learning" (see the presentation document).
In terms of French repertoire, I presented world premieres for solo viola by Philippe Hersant, Graciane Finzi, Philippe Schoeller, Krystof Maratka, Benoit Menut, Elise Bertrand, Michel Petrossian, Sophie Lacaze, Pascale Jakubowski; and premieres for viola and accordion by Olivier Calmel and Graciane Finzi.
Françoise Gneri gave a lecture on the freedom of movement, rhythm (freedom of life) and gesture in music interpretation.
Françoise Gneri and I presented duets for 2 violas by Philippe Hersant (Caprices), Krystof Maratka (Poèmes and an arrangement of the Toreador aria from Carmen), Thomas Morley, Franck Bridge and transcriptions of JS Bach's Inventions. Françoise also performed Hora Lunga by Ligeti.
Full programme (xl format) :
The programme was also presented in a 140-pages booklet created by Hella Franck, a member of the Brazilian Viola Society, with daily updates on programmes, schedules, biographies, practical informations...in both print and digital versions.
List of Brazilian composers :
Chorinho Pixinguinha
Ricardo Herz
Joco do bamdolim
Flávio Chamis
André Mehrari
Ricardo Kubala commissioned violist
Alexandre Lunsqui
Ricardo Tacuchian
Silvio Ferraz
Marco Podilha
Suzi Magalhaes
Andersen Viana
Nestor de Holanda Cavalcante
Edmundo Villani - Cortes
Francisco Aquino
Ernest Mahle
Edino Krieger
Ricardo Vasconcelos
Ernesto Nazareth
Flausino Valle
Brenno Blauth
Chiquinha Gonzaga
Francisco Mignone
Kino Lopez
Osvaldo Lacerda
Jao de Souza Lima
Ernani Aguiar
Lindembergue Cardoso
Brenno Blauth
Dutch Society/Kristofer Skaug blog, which presents his vision of the 5 days of the congress:
The Dutch Viola Society hosted the 45th International Viola Congress in 2018.
UPCOMING CONGRESS IN 2025 in China!
The 50th International Viola Congress will be held in Xi'an, China, from August 13-17, 2025. This is the first time China will host a Congress! The theme is "The Silk Road through the Four Strings of the Viola - East, West, Tradition, Novelty," featuring guest artists like Ning Shi, Atar Arad, Garth Knox, Paul Silverthorne, Haofu Chang, and Antonello Farulli.
Chinese Congress website :
Their call for applications is open : submit your concert, workshop and conference projects via their website until November 1, 2024.
(Note: their site only works with IOs and Safari browsers at the moment).
Latest Congress :
41st IVC, 2013: Krakow, Poland
42nd IVC, 2014: Porto, Portugal
43rd IVC, 2016: Cremona, Italy
44th IVC, 2017: Wellington, New Zealand
45th IVC, 2018: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
46th IVC, 2019: Poznan, Poland
47th IVC, 2022: Columbus, Georgia (USA)
48th IVC, 2023: Salaya, Thailand
49th IVC, 2024: Campinas, Brazil
All that's left to do is..... PARIS Viola Congress 2026!!!
Abrasos,
Karine Lethiec.
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