Laura
Miles
Submitted:
August 18, 2009
Awarded
: $
500
Contact Information:
Laura
Miles
18 Court St
Lower
New Haven
CT
06511
USA
203-508-4686
Reference 1:
Grace Feldman
Reference 2:
Ros Morley
Summary of Submitted Materials:
Submitted Documents:
Submitted Recordings:
Committee Notes:
Looks good to me...and so cheap! This leaves us plenty of reserve for any other similarly-sized applications. I'll get in touch with Ros and see what she has to say, but it seems a very worthwhile investment. But she has to hold onto the Dolmetsch bow as a relic.
I've worked with Laura at the YPW and at two Conclaves. If we are, indeed, going to proceed with helping out young players who are NOT pre-professionals, she seems like a really good candidate. Unlike Erin Jerome, the first non-pre-professional to whom we made a grant, she is not a musicologist, so we cannot say that she is likely to go on to use the instrument in her professional life (as we did with Erin). However, she is an example of just the kind of young amateur player we want to see move up and become the next generation of active members. (and, yes, she's not asking for much) - Sarah
So that's three really strong letters of support, all of which suggest that Laura is a deserving candidate for this grant. As for the committee, Sarah and I are in favor of it...so what would be the next step? Jack's vote? Julie's weigh-in? I will bend her ear about it the next time we talk (which is fairly often these days). Wendy, do you have a strong opinion? Do we need to wait until the end of the application period to make sure nothing more pressing comes in before we commit to giving this money away?
-DM
This just in: Miz Jeffrey concurs that Laura and her request are both worthy, in her opinion.
I suspect we need to review EXACTLY what we say about the pre-professional thang in our description of the grant. Wendy - whaddaya say? Did Erin's award open the way for Laura and others?
Hmm... what we say exactly is: "... the program is designed to assist young professionals whose future is likely to include support of the mission of the VdGSA." How inconvenient. We might want to discuss officially dropping the "professionals" wording for future applications. Meanwhile, any way we can wiggle around the young professionals thing for the sake of Laura's worthy application without getting into trouble?
I agree that this would be a good thing to discuss at the Board Meeting (weekend after this coming one). Them what originally set up this fund will want to have a say in any rewording, so that would be the time to do it.
And - yes - we GOT it (but I, at least, needed the elbow-jab!).
S
Jack, I thought *I* was the hold-up! I'm hideously behind on everything, but devoting the next few days to catching up. I agree with y'all that we should discuss our GIA issues at the upcoming meeting, although I wish Jack and David could be physically present for the discussion. I guess the phone will have to do. Any chance we could do it by Skype?
Love,
Julie
Project Description:
I am in need of a better treble bow. My current bow is an older Dolmetsch bow valued at $100, and although it is serviceable and I take excellent care of it, my playing ability has outgrown it. At Conclave 2009 and 2008 I tried out various bows, including those by Louis Begin, Harry Grabenstein, and Charlie Ogle's Chinese bows. I liked the sound, clarity, and weight of the Chinese bows I tried out - some at Ogle's exhibit as well as some owned by fellow players - and found my playing much smoother, controlled, and expressive than with my current bow. At the price of $385, a Chinese bow is the perfect combination of quality and affordability that will really enable me to make the most out of the progress I am making on my Ceske treble, a very capable and lovely instrument whose sound has only warmed and matured as I've played it more. (Although I preferred the feel of the Grabenstein bows, with their responsive shape and light balance, I don't yet feel I am at the stage where I need such an expensive bow ($1200+)!).
If I receive a grant-in-aid for a bow, I will order one from Ogle's website, http://www.violadagamba.com/bows.htm (hopefully being able to try out a few and keep my favorite). If I don't receive a grant-in-aid, I will probably hold off buying a new bow.
Request Amount:
$
385
Total Project Cost:
$
Budget and Additional Funding:
Qualifications:
Although I am not a pre-professional or professional young player, I am a very enthusiastic amateur, like so many VdGSA members young and old. I have been playing for a little over two years: for one year under the tutelage of Marie Dalby, and for the last year taking lessons with Grace Feldman and playing in a consort directed by Ros Morley. Saving money quite assiduously just about covered 8 lessons a semester in 2008-2009 with Grace, getting to Conclave, and some music; for fall 2009, I have cut back to 6 lessons, with the plan to slowly keep the difference and save up for a new bow in a few semesters. However when I learned about the Grant-in-Aid at Conclave 2009 I realized perhaps this would be a way for me to both acquire a new bow, return to my normal lesson schedule, and make huge strides in my playing level within the year, improving my current (almost) middle-intermediate playing level. Unfortunately, I haven't found any other funding sources for my gamba passion, as I'm writing my doctoral dissertation in English Literature and don't have any access to funds for professional musicians. That said, when I land a tenure-track job in about five years, I look forward to being able to give back to the Society which has inspired me so much, and to help other young non-professional players find the same satisfaction I have found in making real progress on the viol.
Letter of Reference 1:
Dear David,
Thanks for your email asking about Laura Miles who has put in an application for the Grant-in-aid program to purchase a bow.
Laura is a graduate student working for her PhD in English literature at Yale. She takes lessons from Grace at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven and she is also a member of the Yale Temperament, the viol consort that I coach for the Yale Collegium under Robert Mealy. She is a serious amateur student who really works hard and has attended several Conclaves and the young players workshop in Massachusetts last Spring with Wendy and Josh Lee. Her work on the viol is helped by the fact that she is an amateur singer and belongs to a church choir in New Haven that does a lot of early English music. Though she is definitley not headed for any professional work on the viol, she has made wonderful progress and is fearless in the challenges she sets for herself, such as organizing an evening presentation at the Elizabethan Club at Yale where she played for her peers (along with me, another amateur student and a soprano) to let them hear live music relevant to the focus of their club.
I am not sure whether our Grant-in-aid program is meant only for our young professional members, but if the Society has the means to give her the $375 that she would need to buy a new bow from Charlie Ogle, I think she is a deserving candidate. And I am sure that as she says in her application, she would accept the grant gratefully and would likely be one of the upcoming younger players who would "give back" to the Society in some form once she is settled into her profession. She really loves the viol and this music!
Thanks for considering her.
Best,
Ros
Rosamund Morley
rhm13@columbia.edu
262 Union St
Letter of Reference 2:
On Aug 18, 2009, at 8:33 PM, GRACE FELDMAN wrote:
Dear Wendy:
This letter is in support of the request Laura Miles has made for a Grant-in-Aid from the Viola da Gamba Society.
She has worked very,very hard this past year in her every-other-week private lessons with me. Her level of ability at the instrument has improved by leaps and bounds.
I know she is serious about her work at the instrument, and that she is strongly motivated to moving forward in her technique. I see her having a strong dedication to the society over the coming years.
I hope you will seriously consider her request for money to support the purchase of a new bow. I think the Chinese bow would serve her well, but if there were money available I would strong urge that she be supported for a Grabenstein Bow.
Thank you. Grace Feldman