Karen
Burciaga
Submitted:
October 12, 2022
Awarded
: $
1000
Contact Information:
Karen
Burciaga
36 Circuit St. #2
Medford
MA
02155
US
5088787028
Reference 1:
Jane Hershey
Reference 2:
Dan Meyers
Summary of Submitted Materials:
instrument sales agreement between Wanner, Burciaga, Shaw
Submitted Documents:
Submitted Recordings:
Committee Notes:
Project Description:
I am seeking assistance in purchasing a lovely tenor viol and bow by Karl Dennis. The instrument was listed on our New England chapter’s website last spring, and I jumped at the opportunity! This viol is in absolutely great condition and is a delight to play. The instrument sold for $12,000, of which $6,000 is my portion–I am co-buyer with another viol player in the Boston area, and we plan to share the instrument between us. I would like to ask the VdGSA for $1000 towards the purchase.
Request Amount:
$
1000
Total Project Cost:
$
6000
Budget and Additional Funding:
The seller, a VdGS-NE member living in Vermont, very graciously agreed to a down payment of $3000 and a monthly payment plan of $300 per month, which I began paying in May.
Qualifications:
I first discovered the viola da gamba as a senior at Vanderbilt, when I joined the Collegium under the direction of June Williams. The experience opened my classical violinist’s mind to a vast new world of musical possibilities, and I’ve loved playing gamba, and early music, ever since. Though primarily a treble player, I’ve been able to borrow a tenor for occasional concerts, and I absolutely love the lower range and bigger size–though I admit reading alto clef on tenor remains a delightful challenge, and one that I’ll continue to work on.
Over the years, I’ve felt very fortunate to have had opportunities to play viol in ensembles both here in Boston (Long & Away, El Dorado Consort, Seven Times Salt) and in Austin TX (Texas Early Music Project, La Follia, Austin Baroque Orchestra). Coaches such as Jane Hershey, Sarah Mead, Carol Lewis and others have provided invaluable guidance. In addition, I do my best to promote local viol-related activities by serving on the board of the VdGS-NE, currently as president and previously as publicist and Gamba Gamut liaison. I am the General Manager of SoHIP (Society for Historically Informed Performance) and also volunteer time to manage the New England Early Music Calendar.
I would be very grateful to receive any amount of funding towards the tenor viol. Some might wonder if the tail end of a pandemic is the best time to make such a sizeable purchase, but I realized an opportunity such as this only comes up once in a while, and I’m glad to have taken advantage of it. I can’t wait to plan many future projects with this gorgeous instrument.
Thank you so much for your consideration.