At the Library of Congress last month, Roberto Díaz was playing on an exceedingly rare viola. What didn’t cross his mind, he ...

The viola is the middle voice of the string family. It is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower and deeper sound than a violin. Since the 18th century it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

Silent warrior. Underdog. Middle voice. These are the generous words that describe the viola, the string instrument accustomed to the shadows, and to the relentless jokes. Violists rarely get a ...

364 "Mozart was one of the first composers to liberate the voice of viola by writing six string quintets featuring two violas. (Mozart himself was also a violist!) This Sinfonia Concertante was ...

Too broke to buy a viola? Don’t let that stop you from making beautiful music. Sometimes, playing in a string quartet can get repetitive. Here’s how you can mix things up a bit. Violist Efdal Altun ...

What drew you to the viola in the first place? So, I knew I wanted to play a string instrument, I didn't really have a preference. And then in third grade the teacher played something on the ...

Having a Hollywood actor learn Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 for a role ... Catherine Keener get into character as a classical viola player, they sought the help of Carrie Dennis, the ...

Those damn viola jokes! Though usually good-natured and funny, they nonetheless belittle a middle-register instrument often hidden in an orchestra or string quartet. Composers have been notorious ...

Serenity Thurlow, Principal Viola with the Christchurch Symphony, is stepping centre-stage to perform Bartók's Viola Concerto.