How The Viola Gained
Its Voice
An interdisciplinary project in collaboration with
ConTempo Studios
Saturday, May 9 | 7:00 PM
Ethos School of the Arts
Konrad Rudowicz, Viola
Merit Rogge, Viola
Alona Khoptynets, Piano
Khoren Ouzounian, Piano
Ethos Chamber Players closes its Spring 2026 season with How The Viola Gained Its Voice, a collaboration with ConTempo Studios exploring the journey of the viola from a background instrument to a compelling solo voice.
Often described as the “Cinderella” of the string family, the viola spent much of its history in the shadow of the violin and cello—essential to the texture, but rarely in the spotlight. This program explores how that began to change. Blending performance with brief insights along the way, the concert follows that transformation through a mix of original works and transcriptions, revealing how composers gradually explored more of the viola’s unique, introspective sound, paving the way for it to step out of its supporting role and into its own voice—rich, expressive, and unmistakably its own.
The program also expands beyond the music itself into an interdisciplinary experience, incorporating visual art by Alejandra Molina Fuentes and optional interactive elements that add another layer to the overall presentation.
Program
Franz Schubert – Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D. 821
• I. Allegro moderato
Max Bruch – Romance, Op. 85
Frank Bridge - Lament
Rebecca Clarke – Passacaglia on an Old English Tune
Rebecca Clarke – Morpheus
Sergei Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet
• Dance of the Knights
• Balcony Scene
Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel (arranged for two violas)
ConTempo Studios
ConTempo Studios is an interdisciplinary arts 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing high-caliber, boundary-breaking performances that fuse live music with diverse artistic disciplines. The mission is to make art accessible and inclusive while giving artists a platform to experiment and step outside the confines of their traditional roles.
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