Welcome to Guelph and the XXVII International Viola Congress. And a special thank you to each one of you for coming and paying the bills! I'm Henry Janzen and I am the President of the Canadian Viola Society and host chair of this Congress.
When we agreed to take on the task of hosting this congress (thanks Tom [Tatton]) we knew that it was a daunting task and there were many back room horror stories to attached to these things. I had no idea how much it would age me, but being perfectly aware of my surroundings at all times, when I received an e-mail from Peter Slowik with a date of Mon, 27 Aug 1956, I knew I was in trouble.
As many of you know, putting on a congress like this is easy, takes very little time and almost no planning whatsoever. I highly recommend the it to anyone who is retired, has a large and willing family or a large circle of masochistic friends, unlimited funds and no regard as to budgetary considerations. I missed out on the unlimited funds!
In other words I had help and lots of it. There are many people who deserve to be mentioned and at this point I do not have the time to name them all. But a great thank you to all of you. Two wonderful people however, do deserve my special thanks. They showed unbelievable patience and persistence and are largely responsible for turning ideas into what have here today. These two individuals are Ann Frederking who is our business manager and took care of the registration process and Jutta Puchhammer who is the artistic chair in charge of contacting the artists.
Some of you may want to express your opinions regarding the congress. You will be safe if you complain to Ann about the artistic stuff because she had nothing to do with that, and about the accommodations and costs to Jutta because she had nothing to do with that side of things. On the other hand if you have positive comments please come and see me!
You can help me in one small way. Ann says that since I get to address the assembled throngs and reap the glory, she gets to keep the money if there is any left over at the end of the congress. Please, if you have any influence at all with Ann, tell her that this is not fair and that I should get some of it - at least enough to buy one decent cigar!
Some of you, perhaps most of you, know that I almost canceled this congress a month ago due to a perceived lack of interest. At that time we were looking at a shortfall of $25,000.00 and with fewer than 100 registrants. Literally at the last minute and at the urging of the people I consulted, I decided to go on with the congress, but it was an awfully close run. I know I am preaching to the converted, but this seems to be part of a continuing and disturbing trend in recent congresses. Again preaching to the converted, if in the future you will be attending a congress please register early to avoid anxiety attacks amongst the organizers and the possible cancellation of a congress.
Roughly every 20 years Canada acts as host to the congress. After conferring with my colleagues, and in light of the previously mentioned trends we have decided to host the 45th International Viola Congress in 2017. We'll hold it some place sexy like Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver in the hope that more violists will attend, and will expect your registrations in 2010. After the deadline the fees will double due to the rise in our anxiety levels.
In any case we hope that this year you will enjoy your stay here; that you think the presenters are all quite fantastic and that you will make new as well as renew kinship and friendships with your fellow violists.
Finally, there is no official dedicatee for this congress, but the last couple of years have seen the passing of some prominent members of our fraternity. Three that spring to mind are Walter Trampler, Maurice Riley and Nathan Gordon. Mr. Gordon was one of my teachers. He treated me with great kindness and patience and made me welcome in his home. He sold one of his personal violas to me since I did not have a great deal of money to buy one. Many times at the end of a lesson he would invite me to his and Marge's table and I still reel at the thought of the Bloody Mary's he used to concoct for my consumption. I miss him.
Perhaps at some point during the congress you can reflect on the thought that without people like Nathan Gordon who produced a great number of fine violists, we would be in a sorry state. Without the pedagogues like him who impart their knowledge, inspire and push us to heights personally considered impossible, we would not have made the tremendous progress with the viola that has taken place in the 20th century.
By way of example; one summer at the Banff School, I was going through some old STRAD magazines and read that in 1897 or around that time, the viola section of the London Philharmonic walked out of rehearsal of Tschaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, saying it was impossible to play. Today, one rarely hears the same complaint even from the better youth orchestras.
From Tertis and on and in various countries, we have teachers who threaten, lead and cajole the rest of us to greater artistry with that wonderful voice of humanity, the viola. To those who are still alive and some of you are here today, and to those who have gone were we have yet to follow, thank you.
Good evening and thank you all for coming. I feel like I've been host to a grand party in my home town which has provided me a lot of pleasure. I've made many new friends and renewed some old friendships. Thank you once again for coming and making this congress special to me.
When we met to begin planning for this year's congress we had some aspirations regarding the congress.
When we finished the artistic and program planning last September, I was looking forward to the congress. It included many of the events I wanted to attend and participate in. Unfortunately, due to "behind the scenes stuff that needed attending to" that has not been the case this week. I suppose I'll have to get the tapes and watch what actually happened here.
I would at this time like to thank the luthiers and retail people who made the effort to come and give an added dimension to the congress. And a special thanks to the sponsors for their support.
Also the staff of the River Run Centre have been great. No problem or sudden change of direction was large enough to throw them off their stride and they did everything possible to make our stay worry and glitch free. Thank you.
I need to say a special thank you to the delegation from Germany. Five people in all came from Germany to this congress. Many of you know that the IVS (International Viola Society) has, since its inception, been based in Germany and indeed has been carried for years in terms of support and work by the German Chapter. As the structure of the IVS becomes more international and other chapters begin to shoulder some of the responsibility, there is inevitably a time of fear and trepidation as to how the organization will work. All of us must do our part to ensure that the future of the IVS remains bright and stable and that its voice becomes stronger. And to ensure that it speaks for each of us. The continued support by the German Society is recognized and greatly appreciated.
Three people were recognized as the organizers of this event at the awards dinner. The "three headed monster" as Peter Slowik so quaintly put it the other night. There was another vitally essential person involved as well, who hosted the first official planning session for this congress two years ago. He has often been the recipient of a late night call from me asking for directions or help. He has played a large role behind the scenes this week and at the last minute stepped in to conduct the multiple viola sessions. He is Ralph Aldrich. Ralph, thank you for all your support and work.
And now, thank you to all of you for your kind words and also suggestions for further improvements for the next congress. I'll make sure they get passed on.
The final concert of the XXVII International Viola Congress is about to begin and it is with some sadness that I bid you all "adieu" and safe passage home.