Out of the

Michelle Pritchard

The late Nineteenth Century saw the emergence of the viola from the ‘engine room’ of the orchestra to a solo instrument in its own right, due to champions such as English violist Lionel Tertis. The viola’s rising status paved the way for collaborations between violists and composers, resulting in an expansion of a relatively limited repertoire and placing higher demands on the performer. Through theoretical and practical based research, I identify the roles and responsibilities of the classical violist when collaborating with living composers. At the centre of my practical investigations were collaborations with four composers in the realisation of new works and exploration of pre-existing works by three composers, as part of a cross-departmental/cross-cultural collaboration. These collaborations highlight the importance of a high level of musicianship and an ability to communicate with and without the instrument. Artistic and intellectual exchange through open communication results in mutually beneficial outcomes and a deeper connection with the music. Additionally, these collaborations reveal that the viola is still emerging as a solo instrument, needing further experimentation and exploration. The final aspect of my research is the curation of a lecture-recital series showcasing these new compositions, anchored with works from the standard and lesser-known repertoire. The future aim is to perform and record these new works in order to reach a wider audience. Successful collaborations contribute to the generation, promotion, and contribution to the classical viola repertoire and the status of the instrument itself now and into the future. Bio Michelle Pritchard is an Australian violist, violinist and pedagogue, studying her Master in Classical Music (Viola) with Ásdís Valdímarsdottír at The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague. In Australia, Michelle studied with Alex Todicescu, Sydney Conservatorium. Later with Jeremy Williams, obtaining an Associate of Music Diploma with Distinction, and a Graduate Diploma of Professional Music Performance Practice through the University of Tasmania. Specialising in chamber music, Michelle established a concert series in Sydney. She has toured Europe as recitalist and as a member of the Hourglass Ensemble. Additionally, she founded ‘Eisteddfod on the Mountain’ in the regional area north of Sydney

CHAPTER 4- PERSONAL ARTISTIC RESEARCH- Collaborative Case Studies

Over the course of my Research and in the previous chapters I have set out to identify the roles and responsibilities of the violist when collaborating with living composers.

This chapter will shed light on what my roles and responsibilities are as I find myself as violist, in unique collaborations with a scope of living composers from different backgrounds and experiences.

The composers in my case studies are as follows:

Student Composers- I instigated this cross-departmental collaboration with the Composition Department at The Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.

Maarten Bauer- Dutch- new work

Richard Hughes- Irish- new work

Ynyr Pritchard- Welsh- new work

Australian Composers, well established in Australia with honourary titles for their contributions to the Arts in Australia.

Christopher Bowen (OAM) - new work

Elena Kats-Chernin (AO) - pre-existing and published work

Ross Edwards (AM)- pre-existing and published work.

Works by the Australian composers that have showcased the viola as a solo instrument and have resonated with me.

( For the two pre-existing published works in this project, I was curious to discuss edits or changes to the notated score that might occur )

Dutch composer Orkun Ağır- pre-existing and unpublished work.

In each case study I will detail the process, the tools used for the collaborations, concepts, ideas and experimentation, communications, artistic-intellectual exchange, artistic challenges, expert advice to name a few and in my closing chapter, I will summarise these findings.

To conclude each of my case studies I attempt to answer the sub-question:

When collaborating with living composers, can I gain further insight into whether the viola has truly emerged as a solo instrument in its own right, or is there still work to be done?

The following table provides a brief overview by way of introduction.

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