As If There's Any Such Thing As A "Common" Violist...

And speaking of viola jokes, here's a little something I've been meaning to get on tape for quite a while now. Our viola section is notorious for always being up to something, and we frequently reduce each other to hysterics (as Sarah can attest) at inappropriate moments mid-rehearsal. But rarely do we feel any need to let the rest of the band in on the joke. (Quite frankly, your average violinist or bassoonist just doesn't have as highly developed a sense of humor as we do.)

But every once in a while, we enjoy sharing our, um, eccentricities with the world, and earlier this afternoon, we got the chance, at a thank-you lunch the musicians of the orchestra put on for our tireless and hardworking staff...



Mm-hm. Tell me that doesn't make you forget completely about the original! I really don't know why all fanfares aren't written for viola choir...

In all seriousness, credit where it's due: this particular arrangement is mine, but the idea came way back in my college days from native Minnesotan Kate Holzemer, now a violist to the stars, occasional ItC commenter, and avid hockey blogger based in Buffalo. Kate's version of the fanfare (which, if memory serves, included full percussion and a conductor) was first performed at Oberlin Conservatory, at a much-loved annual gathering known as Mock Students, in 1997 1996. She also played in the first performance of my version at Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music a couple of summers back. Thanks, Kate!