2025
Spring Newsletter
Featuring:
- 2025 National Viol School Wrap-Up: Hobart/nipaluna Comes Alive with Viols!
- Reflections on the 2025 National School
- Short Read: Jordi Savall, The Age of Discovery
- Regional Focus: Castlemaine Short Viol School
- New Publication: Decoding Marin Marais
- From the Consort Room: September Gathering
Summer Newsletter
WELCOME
We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the 2025 Annual Viol School in beautiful Hobart/nipaluna, Sat 8 to Mon 10 March. Thanks to the support of Van Diemen’s Band, we are also thrilled to offer the opportunity to spend the final afternoon of the school with one of the world’s greatest viola da gamba virtuosos, Paolo Pandolfo. Paolo will also be giving two solo concerts in the Hobart Town Hall on Sunday March 9. What a fantastic start to 2025! Below you will find viol news from Australia and abroad, upcoming concerts, CD reviews, and interviews with members John Weretka and Sachar Amos.
–Ruby Brallier & Alasdiar McAndrew
2024
Autumn Newsletter
2023
Newsletter: Concert Review – Croissants & Whiskey 25 November, 2022
Review of Croissants & Whiskey concert at Tempo Rubato, Friday November 25, 2022
“Croissants & Whiskey” is the engaging name of a newly formed quartet, whose members and instruments are:
Joy Lee: harpsichord
Ryan Williams: recorders
Katie Yap: baroque viola
Miranda Hill: G violone
(All this, and more details, can be found on their web page https://croissantsandwhiskey.com.) All four players are expert instrumentalists as well as being highly sensitive musicians. Their inaugural concert was earlier in 2022.
Read the full article HERE
Newsletter: Music Series in Daylesford – Victoria Watts
The inaugural music series at Christ Church in the quaint Victorian town of Daylesford was put on with great success last year. Victoria Watts tells us a bit about what it’s all about.
Read the full article here
Newsletter: Ruffo Music Book Review – John Werekta
An insightful and fascinating look at the publication of a Sicilian manuscript for Bass Viol that originates from the second half of the 17th century.
Read the rest of the article here
Newsletter: Goldberg Variations Review – Alasdair McAndrew
Listening to the Goldberg Variations as arranged for viol consort by Richard Boothby from Fretwork, and played by them.
Read the full article here in our members only section
To Fix a Case – Alasdair McAndrew
5 February 2023
Schenk Le Nymphe di Rheno Review – Alasdair McAndrew
5 February 2023
A new facsimile edition from Atelier Philidor.
On Renaissance Viols – David Clark
29 January 2023
A luthier called Richard Jones makes viols constructed according to a Renaissance pattern and designed to be played at 440Hz.
Read the whole article here in our members only section
Aquila Synthetic Red Strings – Reidun Turner
29 January 2023
A hands on evaluation of Aquila’s new range of synthetic ‘red strings’.
