Viola da Gamba Society of America

Members' Area Circuit Rider Program The Circuit Rider program is now accepting applications for Circuits starting in 2022! Apply here . Applications due by October 15th. ​ In 2008 the VdGSA initiated the "Circuit Rider Program" to provide support to communities that do not have a local viol teacher and wish to set up an ongoing relationship with a viol teacher. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for players in such communities to have ongoing lessons that will give direction to practice time and help set goals. ​ "...participation in the Circuit Rider Program with Viols Houston has engendered a strong sense of community and family among us, enabled us to coalesce as a viol community, and has emboldened us to tackle ambitious projects..." Brady Lanier ​ The Circuit Rider program has expanded to include both 2- and 4-visit Circuits within the calendar year. The Full Circuit consists of 4 visits completed between January and December. The Half Circuit consists of 2 visits to be completed within 6 months, and is offered on a one-time basis as an enticement for new groups to try out the program and hopefully get ready for a Full Circuit the next year. ​ The application deadline for the Circuit Rider program is October 15 of each year with award decisions announced by November 1. The contact person must be a VdGSA member in good standing. See below for full information, including the "piggy-back option" (for a group close enough to an established Circuit to be able to offer their teacher another partial Circuit with coordinated dates). Contact the Circuit Rider Coordinator, Isabel Hendry for more information. Program Guidelines: Consult with other local players and assemble a group interested in having lessons and willing to make either, a one-year commitment to the program for a Full Circuit of 4 visits, or a six-month commitment for a Half Circuit of 2 visits (The Half Circuit is a one-time only, introductory option to the Full Circuit Rider program) You are advised to have one person in charge of organizing the finances in advance to guarantee the success of the program. This can be done in a number of ways. Here are two examples of successful programs that may be used as a model. Next steps:​ Select a teacher from the list of participating teachers below and contact that teacher directly. Our list of teachers includes airports nearest to them so that you can factor in the travel costs. Contact the teacher and set up a schedule of 2 (Half Circuit) or 4 (Full Circuit) visits to take place before the end of the calendar year. Agree to guarantee a minimum of 10 hours of teaching at a rate of US$50*/hour for each 2-day visit; this time could be used for private lessons, group coaching, master classes, and/or beginner sessions. (Note: Your group may decide to divvy the payments up as they see fit, but must provide the teacher with a minimum $500* per visit.) Arrange to provide local transportation as needed, housing, and food for the Circuit Rider teacher during each visit. The Circuit Rider teacher’s airfare, taxis, shuttles, and if possible, rental car, can all be included in the travel budget, as long as the total falls within the $500 per trip allowance. Additional funds are available for a second area to "piggy-back" onto a pre-existing Circuit if it is within reasonable traveling distance from the target area listed above. This is a good arrangement for groups not large enough to support a full ten hours of teaching, but interested in benefiting from a teacher already traveling. The piggy-back group must guarantee 5 hours of teaching (a minimum of $250) and may apply for a travel stipend up to $125 per visit ($500 for 4 visits) to cover the additional travel expense between areas. Circuit Rider applicants, both principal and piggy-back, should fill out the application form separately. It is the piggy-back group's responsibility to coordinate with the principal group on details. The terms of the Circuit Rider funding are the same for both groups. *Canadian applicants may submit a request with their application for a subsidy to cover the difference between CA$50 and US$50 (use the "comments" section of the application for this). Here's what you'll get from the program: Full Circuit: A stipend of up to $2000 for 4 visits/year ($500/visit) to cover the Circuit Rider's long-distance travel; OR Half Circuit: A stipend of up to $1000 for 2 visits/6 months ($500/visit) to cover the Circuit Rider's long-distance travel. Travel stipends are paid directly to the teacher by the VdGSA. Additional funds are available for communities that can "piggy-back" their visits so that the teacher can make one multi-destination trip. Continuity: four (or two) personalized lessons from the same teacher with time to practice in between. Coaching for any size or level of group, on music chosen by you or provided by your instructor. A choice of teachers who are committed to the goals of the program. A special hourly rate below the national average. Because of the Circuit Riders’ generosity and desire to reach as many interested players as they can, the teaching rate for a Circuit is discounted by the teacher and set at only $50 per hour. Circuit Rider Teachers: You must choose a teacher from amongst the VdGSA teaching members who have agreed to participate in the program. To browse the list of participating teachers and read about them, please visit the Circuit Rider teachers page. How to apply Click here to fill out the application form . Deadline: The deadline for applications for each calendar year is October 15 of the previous year. For information about applications or general information about the Circuit Rider Program, contact Coordinator Isabel Hendry .

Circuit Rider Teacher List The following teachers have all expressed willingness to participate in the Circuit Rider Program. You may contact them regarding this. ​ Back to the Circuit Rider Program page. Erik Andersen San Francisco, CA SFO, OAK Contact Erik Andersen is a graduate of the Aaron Copland School of Music at the City University of New York where he completed studies in modern cello under the direction of Marcy Rosen and additional studies in historical performance with Lisa Terry. He regularly performs on viola da gamba and baroque cello, and enjoys teaching historical and modern strings in group and individual lessons with a focus on body learning and wellness adapted from the Alexander Technique, yoga and his own experience as a performer, teacher, and practitioner. At age 16 Erik was invited to participate in a teaching internship program through the InterSchool Orchestras of New York, and now has over ten years of teaching experience serving as music teacher and ensemble coach for students ranging in ages from 4 to 84 years old. As a current MA of Teaching candidate at the University of San Francisco, he is committed to facilitate the learning of all students and to promoting harmony and good-will in this world through teaching and music-making. Sonia Arbuche Los Angeles, CA LAX, BUR Contact Captivated by early music ever since early childhood, I first started playing the viola da gamba in France. I obtained a master's degree in viola da gamba performance from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels, Belgium with Philippe Pierlot. I have performed with various ensembles in northern France, Belgium and in the United States on the vielle, and treble, tenor and bass viols (medieval, Renaissance and baroque repertoire). I offer viola da gamba lessons for children and adults, and chamber music/consort coachings. I teach beginning, intermediate and advanced students. I am attentive to the musical needs and desires of my students in order to help them find their own personal way of playing the viol and provide useful tools to interpret the repertoire. I start small children with ukulele lessons: this is the perfect way to begin a stringed instrument. Later, we can easily switch to the viol. Rachel Cama Nemer Philadelphia, PA PHL Contact Rachel Cama Nemer performs on viol and Baroque cello throughout the country and abroad. Increasingly in demand as a teacher, Rachel has instructed viol at workshops in Philadelphia, New England, Toronto, at the Amherst Early Music Festival, at Brandeis University and at Case Western Reserve University. She has also enjoyed promoting the viol through outreach programs that have been presented to young children, public high school string students and college students. Rachel was the winner of a Young Artist Grant-in-Aid from the Viola da Gamba Society of America. She completed graduate degrees in music at Brandeis University and Longy School of Music. Rachel is also a professional Certified Yoga Therapist—she works individually with musicians on performance-related concerns and seamlessly integrates body/mind practices into her music teaching and ensemble coaching. Tina Chancey Washington, DC WAS Contact Tina Chancey is director of HESPERUS. She plays medieval and traditional fiddles, viola da gamba and pardessus on roots music from Sephardic and Irish to Machaut and Joni Mitchell. A former member of the Toss the Feathers, Folger Consort, the Ensemble for Early Music, New York Renaissance Band, Blackmore's Night and QUOG, Tina teaches, performs, improvises, produces recordings, composes and arranges, writes popular and scholarly articles, and directs SoundCatcher workshops on playing by ear and improvisation. She has been given a Special Education Achievement Award by Early Music America and four Wammies for best classical instrumentalist. SPECIAL INTERESTS: Treble and pardessus; medieval strings, improvisation in the style of Ortiz; consort balancing, shifting and How to Practice. Sarah Cunningham Haverford, PA PHL Contact Sarah Cunningham is recognized as one of the foremost viola da gambists worldwide. She trained at Harvard University, the Longy School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland. She was co-founder, with Monica Huggett, of Trio Sonnerie, with whom she recorded chamber music for violin and viol, and toured on four continents between 1982 and 1997. She was invited by Sir James Galway to collaborate on his CDs of Bach's flute music, and toured with him in Europe and the USA. She released solo CDs on ASV and EMI/Virgin Classics, and she has appeared as recitalist from Helsinki to Vancouver. Sarah loves teaching viol technique to all levels, focusing especially on bow technique for a beautiful sound, clear articulation, and clean strong crossings, and left hand technique for relaxation, flexibility, and avoiding injury. She coaches all levels of consort playing emphasizing listening and musical structure, and also has a deep knowledge of solo repertoire at all levels. She teaches at the Juilliard School and has 45 years experience teaching privately and at summer workshops. Julie Elhard Minneapolis, MN MSP Contact Julie Elhard, viola da gamba, appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and has made several appearances with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, including the St. Matthew Passion by Bach under the direction of Nicholas McGegan. Ms. Elhard was awarded a 2016 and 2012 Artist's Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and a Jerome Foundation grant in 2002. Ms. Elhard received a Performing Artist Certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Netherlands and has taught at numerous workshops in North America and at the Viola da Gamba Society of America's national Conclaves. She currently teaches viola da gamba at St. Olaf and Macalester colleges and is director of the early music programs at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. She has published repertoire for the beginning viol player, teaches private lessons and has created and led both youth and adult early music ensembles. Wendy Gillespie Bloomington, IN IND Contact Wendy Gillespie taught performance practice, early notation and viola da gamba at Indiana University Bloomington's Jacobs School of Music for 32 years, and she has been playing renaissance polyphony, viol consorts, baroque music and contemporary music professionally for nearly 50 years - and she is still learning. She is eternally grateful to Grace Feldman at Wellesley College and Veronica Hampe at Amsterdam Conservatoire for their help and early encouragement into the world in which Wendy has been fortunate to spend her entire career. As a member of Fretwork and Phantasm, Wendy has received several Gramophone Awards, Grand Prix du Disque, and other shiny things, and she has participated in over 100 commercial recordings. A founding member of Nota Bene and Fretwork, she has been on the cutting edge of the edgy Renaissance viol scene in both the UK and the US. Wendy has experience teaching musicians of all ages, persuasions and levels of expertise. Her goal is to help people lose themselves in music, letting go of everything else. A Past President of the VdGSA, she has ideas of how to help people sound better and work together as a consort. Also a frequent faculty member at Conclave, Wendy has undertaken circuits in FL, CA and MS. She has a car, patience, curiosity, loads of time and motivation, and is willing to get on a plane. Jane Hershey Boston/Manchester, NH BOS, MHT Contact Jane Hershey, viola da gamba, studied at the Longy School of Music with Gian Silbiger, and The Hague Conservatory with Wieland Kuijken. Early in her career, she toured and recorded with the Boston Camerata. For many seasons, she performed with Laura Jeppesen at Boston's MFA as a member of the trio Charivary, and with the Carthage Consort in performances around the US and in local venues such as the Loeb Drama Center and the "Cambridge Society for Early Music" series. She has been a frequent guest with Emmanuel Music, the Aston Magna Festival, Monadnock Music, Hesperus, and the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and performed as a violone player for many years with Arcadia Players. Her recent recordings are with Frances Fitch, music of Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and with the viol consort Long & Away, cantatas of Samuel Capricornus. Jane is a member of Arcadia Viols, performing with the consort at colleges and universities in New England, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and on the "Music before 1800" series. Next season, the Arcadia Viols will perform again at the Folger, and at other venues in New England. Jane is an active member of the Viola da Gamba Society of America. A frequent teacher for the Society, she served on the VdGSA Board for two terms, and directed many local workshops and performance projects, such as the 2011 Wieland Kuijken Residency and the 2015 Lawes-a-thon at the Longy School. She is currently the VdGSA Chair of the Teacher Development Committee. As well as teaching in the M.Mus. program at Longy,School of Music of Bard College, she works with students of all ages at the Powers Music School, and has directed the Tufts University Early Music Ensemble since 1995. Laura Jeppesen Boston, MA BOS Contact Laura Jeppesen, violin, viola and viola da gamba, has a master's degree from Yale University. Following Yale, she studied at the Hamburg Hochschule and the Brussels Conservatory with Wieland Kuijken. She has been a Woodrow Wilson Designate, a Fulbright Scholar, and a fellow of the Bunting Institute at Harvard. A prominent member of Boston's early music community, she has long associations with The Boston Museum Trio, Boston Baroque, The Handel and Haydn Society, the Boston Early Music Festival and Aston Magna. In 2015 she was part of the BEMF team that won a Grammy for best opera recording. She has performed as soloist with conductors Christopher Hogwood, Edo deWaart, Seiji Ozawa, Craig Smith, Martin Pearlman, Harry Christophers, Grant Llewellyn, and Bernard Haitink. She has an extensive discography of solo and chamber works, including the gamba sonatas of J.S.Bach, music of Marin Marais, Buxtehude, Rameau, Telemann and Clerambault. She teaches at Boston University, Wellesley College and Harvard University, where in 2016 she won an award of special distinction for her teaching of undergraduates. She is a 2017 recipient of an Andrew W. Mellon Blended Learning Initiative Grant for innovative teaching at Wellesley College. Find out more about Laura on her website: laurajeppesen.com Lisle Kulbach Boston/New York BOS, JFK, LGA Contact Lisle Kulbach, multi-instrumentalist...Coaches mixed consorts, viol consorts, recorder consorts, and consorts with voice. Teacher and coach of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Sephardic, and Country Dance music for over 30 years. Plays: Strings: viola da Gamba, rebec, kamanja, violin, vielle Winds: recorders Keyboards: harpsichord, piano Voice. Performed with and was Co-founder of Voice of the Turtle, a Sephardic Music group. Quadrivium Consort. Recordings with Voice of the Turtle and Revels. Bodky Award on harpsichord as a duo with Sarah Cunningham. Graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, BM in harpsichord. First viola da gamba studies were with Gian Lyman. Took lessons with John Hsu under the Ithaca Summer Viol Program. Teaching at workshops include: VDGSA, Pinewoods, Mt. Collegium, Bloomington Early Music Workshop. Brady Lanier Williamstown, VA RIC Contact Brady Lanier can currently be seen performing on viola da gamba and Baroque cello with The Governor’s Music, Colonial Williamsburg’s resident Baroque chamber ensemble. He is a degree candidate for the Doctorate in Music in viola da gamba performance at Indiana University, where he studied with Wendy Gillespie and Joanna Blendulf. A founding member of Quaver Viol Consort (www.quaver.org ), he has performed around the country with numerous ensembles such as the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Houston Bach Society, Istanpitta Medieval Ensemble, Ars Lyrica Houston, and Musikanten Montana. An experienced teacher, Mr. Lanier has taught cello and viol for over 25 years, offering both ensemble coaching and individual private lessons. His education studies have earned him a public music teacher's certificate and Suzuki certification for cello books 1 and 2. He has served on the faculty of numerous summer workshops, including the VdGSA Conclave and YPW, Music On The Mountain, and the Texas Toot. He is currently researching historical and modern viol pedagogy in preparation to write his Doctoral thesis. Mr. Lanier holds a BA from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a MM from Indiana University. Josh Lee Los Angeles, CA LAX Contact Josh Lee, sought after as a soloist and chamber musician, has made teaching viol an increasingly large part of his musical life. Active as a private teacher since the early 2000s, Josh has taught at early music workshops across the US, and has been a guest instructor at Peabody Conservatory, University of California at Berkeley, and San Francisco Conservatory. In 2017 he founded The Free Viol Residency, a tuition-free program for players to study solo repertoire. Only in its first year, the program has 11 scheduled participants ranging from emerging professionals to dedicated amateurs interested deepening their understanding of the viol. As a teacher Josh believes in giving players of any level tools to teach themselves and solve musical problems, focusing on core technique and a fundamental understanding of historic repertoire that can be transferred across the centuries of music viol players enjoy. Carol Lewis Boston, MA BOS Contact Carol Lewis has been called a "zestful and passionate champion" of the viola da gamba. She has frequently demonstrated her musical virtuosity and versatility as a soloist in recitals in the United States and abroad. A former student of Jordi Savall, Ms. Lewis has toured and recorded with Hespèrion, Boston Camerata, and many other groups. Ms. Lewis has taught at Festival dei Saraceni (Pamparato, Italy), Milano Civica Scuola di Musica (Italy), New England Conservatory of Music, Amherst Early Music, Pinewoods, and the annual summer conclave of the Viola da Gamba Society of America. She currently teaches a viol consort class at Somerville (MA) High School and is a coach for the Boston Recorder Society as well as Recorders Early Music MetroWest. She teaches and coaches privately as well—all ages, all levels, catered to the individual needs of the player or group. She's happy to coach recorders, flutes, or other strings or winds, as well as singers. Larry Lipnik New York, NY LGA, JFK Contact Lawrence Lipnik has performed with many acclaimed early music ensembles including Anonymous 4, Piffaro, the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Waverly Consort, and is a founding member of the viol consort Parthenia and vocal ensemble Lionheart. He has prepared an authoritative edition of Francesco Cavalli's La Calisto, commissioned by the Juilliard School, served as gambist and recorder soloist for staged opera productions including Monteverdi's Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria at Wolf Trap and Telemann's Orpheus with the New York City Opera. In addition to performing, he enjoys a busy teaching schedule which has included viol, recorder and early music performance instruction at Wesleyan University, national and international festivals including the Benslow Music Trust in the UK, Port Townsend, San Diego and Madison Early Music Festivals, Pinewoods, Collegium Director at Amherst Early Music, and is currently serving as director of the Viols West Workshop in San Luis Obispo, California with his colleague Rosamund Morley. He is a contributor to The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists, The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare, and the journal Comparative Drama. Recent performance highlights include concerts with lutenist Paul O'dette of Dowland's complete Lachrimae at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, concerts at the Berkeley Festival, appearances with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, ARTEK, TENET, the Indiana University Historic Performance Institute at the Bloomington Early Music Festival and early opera residency at Canegie Mellon University. Betsy MacMillan Montreal, Canada YUL Contact Betsy MacMillan, viola da gamba, is a founding member of Ensemble Arion, formed in 1981, and has performed numerous concerts with the ensemble in Europe, Mexico, Ireland, England, Brazil, the United States, and throughout Canada. She is heard regularly on the CBC and Radio Canada networks both as a soloist as well as a chamber musician, and has made over 30 recordings on the Atma, Analekta, AVIE, Dorion, SRC, CBC, Marquis, and Titanic labels. She has performed as a freelance musician with groups such as La Nef, Apollo's Fire, The Toronto Consort, Les Boréades, Studio de Musique ancienne de Montréal, Ensemble Caprice, Les Voix Humaines, Les Idées heureuses, Danse Cadence, Constantinople, the Skye Consort, Tafelmusik, and the Eisenstadt Baryton Trio. Betsy has been coaching early-music ensembles at McGill University since 1984, and has co-coordinated its Early Music Ensemble program with Valerie Kinslow since 2000. She is frequently invited to teach at various early-music and viola da gamba workshops, including CAMMAC and TEMPO, and leads a regular workshop in Halifax funded by a Circuit Rider grant from the Viola da Gamba Society of America. After receiving a Master's degree in performance on viola da gamba from McGill University in 1982, she was accepted as a post-graduate guest-student at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland, where she furthered her viol studies with Wieland Kuijken. https://www.mcgill.ca/music/about-us/bio/betsy-macmillan Sarah Manthey Albuquerque, NM ABQ Contact Sarah Manthey studied guitar in Spain, and a projected stay of one year turned into eight. While there, she heard a viola da gamba, and the course of her life was altered forever. She earned a degree from the Hochschule fuer Musik und darstellende Kunst, Hamburg, Germany; studied under Pere Ros, attended Masterclasses with Jordi Savall, Wieland Kuiken, took classes with Julia Theis, Hamburg, and Christine Kyprie, Cologne. A founding member of Ensemble Odhecaton in Madrid, Spain; performed with various Baroque ensembles in Germany including Tempora mutantur, Kiel; Musica Viva Moelln; Trias, Hamburg; Lamento, Luebeck; Musica Poetica (Netherlands) under the direction of Jorn Boysen. Since returning to New Mexico in 2011, has worked to expand interest in early music, continued private teaching, and performed with musicians working in New Mexico. Though neither a singer nor a voice-coach, she has a small choir, and finds great satisfaction in helping people who thought they were unmusical learn to sing 3 and 4-part harmony. Sarah Mead Boston, MA BOS, PVD Contact Sarah Mead is a Professor at Brandeis University where she has directed historical instrument and vocal ensembles and taught music history since 1982. In 2007 she received the Thomas Binkley Award from Early Music America for her teaching and scholarship. She was Music Director of the annual VdGSA Conclave for seven years and of Pinewoods Early Music Week for six. Overseas she has performed and taught in Brazil, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. She is a sought-after lecturer and ensemble-coach, and a frequent faculty-member at early music workshops. She is a founding member and music director of Nota Bene Viol Consort. Her editions and commentary on both recent and historical works for viols can be found in the "NewsMusic" section of the VdGSA Newsletter. She helped found the Circuit Rider Program, where she enjoys teaching private lessons and coaching consorts of viols as well as recorders and mixed ensembles with voices. Ros Morley New York, NY JFK, LGA Contact Rosamund Morley performs on all sizes of the viol from the pardessus to the violone, and on the vielle. She is a member of New York's premiere consort of viols, Parthenia, with whom she enjoys playing and recording both early and newly commissioned music in New York and at festivals across the country and in Canada and Italy. For many years she toured around the world with The Waverly Consort. Having experience in many repertoires, she is a sought-after coach for both viol consorts and mixed ensembles working on Renaissance and Baroque music, and her busy teaching schedule has included numerous national workshops as well as courses in the UK, Italy and Canada. She teaches at her Brooklyn, NY studio, at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT, and online via Zoom and FaceTime. Active for many years in the VdGSA, from 2017 to 2020 she was the Music Director for the annual Conclave which in 2020 involved creating the first “NonClave” online workshop in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues to direct the Viols West Workshop in San Luis Obispo, California, with her colleague Lawrence Lipnik. She was educated in her native Canada at the University of Toronto, and at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands. Patricia Ann Neely New York, NY JFK, LGA Contact After receiving a Master's degree in performance on viola da gamba from McGill University in 1982, she was accepted as a post-graduate guest-student at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland, where she furthered her viol studies with Wieland Kuijken. Elisabeth Reed Oakland, CA OAK, SFO Contact Elisabeth Reed teaches viola da gamba and Baroque cello at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she is also co-director of the Baroque Ensemble. Recent teaching highlights include master classes at the Juilliard School, the Shanghai Conservatory and Middle School, and the Royal Academy of Music. Her playing has been described as, "intense, graceful, suffused with heat and vigor" and "delicately nuanced and powerful" (Seattle Times). A soloist and chamber musician with Voices of Music, Archetti, and Wildcat Viols, she has also appeared with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Seattle, Portland, Pacific, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestras, American Bach Soloists, Byron Schenkman and Friends, Gallery Concerts, and Pacific Musicworks. She has performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Ohai Festival, the Whidbey Island Music Festival, and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. She can be heard on the Virgin Classics, Focus, Plectra, and Magnatunes recording labels and has many HD videos on the Voices of Music Youtube channel. She also teaches viola da gamba and Baroque cello at the University of California at Berkeley. She is a Guild-certified practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method of Awareness Through Movement, with a focus on working with musicians and performers. Lesley Retzer Long Island, NY ISP, LGA Contact LESLEY RETZER holds degrees of MM in Cello Performance and MFA in Early Music Performance, with post-grad study in Austria. As a Period Strings Specialist Lesley performs annually at the Fall Medieval Festival at the Cloisters, and has performed, toured and recorded with Ensemble for Early Music, New York Consort of Viols, and New York Renaissance Band (and was an invited performer with this group at The White House). She has appeared as Viola da Gamba soloist for J.S. Bach's St. Matthew and St. John Passions in NYC and Florida, played Treble Viol in The Three Musketeers on Broadway, and Bass Viol for Giulio Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera. Lesley teaches viols, medieval fiddles, and cello privately and at workshops, and attends a music festival performing concerts in churches and museums around Quebec on cello and viola da gamba. She has recorded for Arabesque, Indigo, Musical Heritage Society, Pleiades Records. Tulio Rondón Minneapolis, MN MSP Contact Cellist and Gambist Tulio Rondón performs throughout the United States, Europe, Middle East, and North and South America as a soloist and chamber musician. Known for his vivid depth, passionate performances and strong leadership, Tulio Rondón's performance career has taken him all over the world, sharing the stage with many internationally celebrated artists. Tulio Rondón is in demand as a teacher, chamber musician, and early music specialist. He joined the Vancouver Early Music Festival as faculty on viola da gamba and baroque cello alongside Jaap ter Linden in the summer of 2012 and is currently a faculty member of the IMFA (International Music Festival of the Adriatic) in Duino, Italy. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Simón Bolivar Conservatory, his Master of Music from Miami University (Oxford, OH), and completed a Doctoral Degree in performance at the University of Arizona. Pursuing his strong interest in historic performance practice, he continued his studies in The Netherlands, doing post-graduate studies on baroque cello and viola da gamba with Jaap ter Linden and Rainer Zipperling at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Mr. Rondón is currently the violoncello professor at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. Gail Ann Schroeder Asheville, NC AVL, CLT, GSP Contact Gail Ann Schroeder graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music History. She furthered her performance studies on the viola da gamba at the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium, with Wieland Kuijken, obtaining her First Prize and Higher Diploma, with distinction. She subsequently taught viola da gamba, pedagogy and directed the viol consort at the Brussels Conservatory from 1988 to 2002. Since returning to the USA in 2006, Ms. Schroeder has been in demand as a teacher and ensemble coach at workshops for the Viola da Gamba Society of America, the Amherst Early Music Festival, Mountain Collegium, Music on the Mountain and Retreat to Advance. In 2012 she participated as performer and viol teacher in the French Baroque Project at the University of Alabama. Currently living in North Carolina, she teaches extensively in the southeast, mainly North Carolina and Georgia, where she currently has over 30 private students. Niccolo Seligmann MD BWI Contact Niccolo Seligmann is a viola da gamba performer, teacher, and composer. Most recently as the Viol Coach for UCLA's Early Music Ensemble, Niccolo teaches viola da gamba, kemençe, vielle, and musical "soft skills" like ear training, music theory, and composition. He has years of experience teaching private lessons, and relishes group coachings for a wide variety of ensembles, from viol consorts, to baroque ensembles, to experimental music collectives and rock bands. Focusing on a whole-body pedagogical approach, Niccolo weaves concepts from Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais into his music teaching. In a coaching or lesson, students can expect to focus on breathing, posture, and freedom of movement. Niccolo looks forward to sharing his expertise in many musical traditions from around the world and throughout time to help his students sound their best, whether they are professional players or brand-new beginners. Phillip Serna Chicago, IL CHI, ORD, MDW Contact Gambist, double bassist and collaborative artist PHILLIP W. SERNA has emerged among our nation's leading advocates of the viola da gamba. Co-founding Black Tulip, New Comma Baroque, ViolMedium and the Spirit of Gambo - a Chicago Consort of Viols, he’s collaborated with a myriad of distinguished historical-performance ensembles, most notably the Bella Voce Sinfonia, Burning River Baroque, the Chicago Early Music Consort, Les Touches and the Newberry Consort. He can be heard on WFMT Chicago, Wisconsin Public Radio, Milwaukee Public Radio, and on releases from Clarion, Cedille, and Varèse Sarabande Records. Holding degrees from Northwestern University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Dr. Serna teaches at Valparaiso University, North Central College, the Music Institute of Chicago and co-directs Illinois' first public-school period-instrument program at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. Furthermore, he serves as music director of Viols in Our Schools, an education initiative that earned him Early Music America's 2010 Laurette Goldberg Award for Early Music outreach. Mary Springfels Cerrillos, NM ABQ, SAF Contact I've been a part of the Circuit Rider Program for nearly 10 years, having worked in Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and, next year, Seattle. Each situation is unique, and has involved working with every level of player, from beginner to professional. I've taught individuals, given master classes, group technique sessions, baroque ensembles and consorts. Where appropriate, I've encouraged house concerts or other performance projects. I have broad repertoire interests, and have encouraged the exploration of earlier Renaissance music. For the concluding sessions in Philadelphia, we will begin to learn to improvise, a la Christopher Simpson, using The Division Viol as our only guide. Arnie Tanimoto New York, NY LGA, JFK, EWR Contact Gold medalist of the 7th International Bach-Abel Competition, Arnie Tanimoto is equally at home on the viola da gamba and baroque cello. Described by The New York Times as a “fine instrumental soloist” he performs in venues across the United States, Europe, and Japan. The recipient of a 2017 Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Fellowship he has also performed and recorded with Barthold Kuijken, the Boston Early Music Festival Ensemble, and the Smithsonian Consort of Viols. As a teacher, he serves on faculty at the Mountainside Baroque Summer Academy as well as maintaining a private studio. He holds degrees and certificates from Oberlin Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Arnie specializes in teaching the solo and ensemble repertory of the 17th and 18th centuries, including consort music and mixed baroque ensembles. Back to the Circuit Rider Program page

Circuit Rider Application Circuit Rider Program Application We are a: New Applicant Established Circuit Ride We are applying for a: Introductory Half Circuit (2 visits) Full Circuit (4 visits) Piggy-back on existing Circuit (What is a piggy-back Circuit?) Location of Proposed Circuit: Proposed Teacher: Total Expected Travel Expenses (for all visits): Round trip fares and rental car rates are based on current prices. For teachers who decide to drive their own vehicle to their destination, mileage is reimbursed at the current IRS rate. Amount Requested (for all visits): No single funding amount may exceed $2000 for the year ($1000 for Half Circuit). We are in Canada and requesting a subsidy to cover the difference between USD and CAD Proposed Dates for Visits (choose two for a Half Circuit and four for a Full Circuit): Date One: Date Three: Date Two: Date Four: Agreement: The above-named teacher has agreed to visit our location on the specified dates and for each visit is prepared to provide at least 10 instructional hours—any combination of lessons and group coaching—(or 5 hours in the case of a piggy-back Circuit). As hosts we will guarantee to pay the teacher a minimum of $500 (or $250 if piggy back), covering the first 10 hours (or 5 for piggy backs). Any additional teaching will be paid at the rate of $50/hour. We, as hosts, will provide housing and food to the teacher for each visit. The teacher will submit travel receipts directly to the VdGSA after each visit. The local host will write a review of the completed Circuit Ride for possible publication in the VdGSA Newsletter. I agree to these terms Contact Person: Additional Comments: Thank you for applying to the Circuit Rider Program, we'll be in touch soon! Submit

Additional funds are available for a second area to “piggy-back” onto a pre-existing Circuit if it is within reasonable traveling distance from that Circuit. This is a good arrangement for groups not large enough to support a full ten hours of teaching but would like to benefit from a teacher already traveling. The piggy-back group must guarantee five hours of teaching (a minimum of $250) and may apply for travel stipend up to $125 per visit ($500 for 4 visits) to cover the additional travel expense between areas. Circuit Rider applicants, both principal and piggy-back, should fill out this application form separately. It is the piggy-back group’s responsibility to coordinate with the principal group on details. The terms of the Circuit Rider funding are the same for both groups. Piggy-back groups should provide the details of their proposal in the “Additional Comments” box. CLOSE

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Members' Area Grants Grants-in-Aid Private Lesson Subsidy Program Workshop Grants Chapter Start-up Grants Chapter Conclave Voucher Program Consort Loan Program The Grants-in-Aid program supports the mission of the VdGSA by providing funding for individual members' projects. The program is open to all members of the Society (except Institutional members) who have been members for a full calendar year. ​ Grants-in-Aid may be awarded for various kinds of projects, for example: ​ purchasing instruments, bows, travel cases participating in workshops (except Conclave), master classes, or competitions apprenticing as a teacher at local workshops, mentored by workshop faculty initiating programs for beginning viol players and/or outreach ​ Other proposals, including those by instrument makers, may be considered but Grant-in-Aid funds may not be used for purposes for which the Society has other grant and assistance programs: ​ visiting teachers (see Circuit Rider Program ) online lessons (see Private Lesson Subsidy Program ) workshop sponsorship (see Workshop Grants ) Chapter start-up (see Chapter Start-up Grants ) Conclave expenses, such as tuition, room/board, or travel (see Financial Assistance for Conclave ) Grants are not awarded to applicants/groups that have received a VdGSA Grants-in-Aid award in the past two calendar years (four granting periods), except under extraordinary circumstances. ​ Awardees must submit a written report of the use of the awarded funds to the President within 30 days of completing the project; or within 6 months of the award date (whichever comes sooner). Application Procedure and Deadlines To initiate your application, please first contact the President of the VdGSA, John Moran , with a brief description of your proposed project. After receiving advice from the President, you will submit a formal application, which will be reviewed by an anonymous committee. The application consists of an essay, two letters of recommendation, and supporting documents, described in detail below. ​ The Grants-in-Aid Committee considers applications twice per year: in spring and fall. All materials related to an application must be received online or postmarked: ​ by April 15 for the spring round by October 15 for the fall round ​ Selection Process The President of the Society appoints an anonymous committee to review the applications. For each application, the committee makes a recommendation for full, partial, or no funding. The actual amount of any award is contingent upon sufficient funds being available. The selection process usually takes no more than four weeks following each semi-annual application deadline, after which applicants are notified. ​ Award If sufficient funds are available and the committee recommends funding an application, the Treasurer makes the award to the applicant. ​ Application Instructions Applications are submitted through the online portal . You will need to receive a password for the portal from the President. We are now accepting applications for the October 15th deadline. Please contact John Moran for a password to apply. Your application essay must include answers to the following five questions: ​ What would you like the funds for? For example: A new instrument? Bow? Case? If it's being newly made, who is the builder or maker? Have you already communicated with them? Participation in a workshop, a master class, or a competition? Tell us the details of the event. Apprenticing as a teacher at a local workshop, mentored by other workshop faculty? Tell us about the workshop, and who will be mentoring you. Starting a program for beginning viol players or outreach? What are the details of the program? How will you attract participants? How exactly would grant funds be applied? What is the total cost of the item/experience for which you are seeking funds? What is the amount you are requesting from us? (Note that the maximum award is $1500; see also below our preference that you seek out additional funding sources) If the total cost is greater than the amount you are requesting, how do you propose to cover the difference? Include a budget to illustrate your plan, even if your other funding ideas have not yet been confirmed. What is your experience as a viol player? Depending on the nature of your project, tell us how long you’ve played the viol, or what experience you’ve had producing recordings, or how many outreach events you’ve organized, for instance. How are you a good fit for the funding you request? ​ You must procure two letters of recommendation specific to the application (for example, one letter might be from your teacher). Both letters must address your project and your qualifications, and neither may be from someone who is materially involved in your project, such as a duo player or the builder of an instrument you seek to buy. It is your responsibility to solicit these letters and arrange to have them sent electronically to the President of the VdGSA. ​ You must submit any supporting documents regarding the request (e.g., the application forms for competitions or tuition, the invoice for an instrument, fare confirmations, etc.). ​ If you are applying for a performance-related grant, upload an MP3 or other audio or video file to the application website. The file must must be no larger than 5 megabytes in size. ​ We encourage you to seek additional financial assistance. Describe your initiatives to secure other funding in your application — especially matching grants. Those able to find such additional assistance stand a better chance of being funded by the Society, since we try to grant as many requests as possible.

Grants Grants-in-Aid Private Lesson Subsidy Program Workshop Grants Chapter Start-up Grants Chapter Conclave Voucher Program Consort Loan Program The VdGSA Consort Loan Program is intended to help teachers begin a viola da gamba program for school-age children. The program is open to all private or school teachers of the viol who have been a member of the VdGSA for at least one year. While the teacher is responsible for designing and implementing the program (finding space, recruiting students, etc.), the VdGSA can provide the teacher with instruments to support their program. ​ A consort of five viols is available for loan for a period of two years (typically August-July). Renewal for additional years is possible at the discretion of the Consort Loan Program committee. Applications by letter or email to the Consort Loan Program Administrator are welcome at any time and a committee response may be anticipated within a month of receipt. Approval of any application is dependent upon the strength of the proposal and the availability of instruments at the time of application. ​ The application should include: Name of the VdGSA member applying for the consort loan Brief resume of applicant's teaching experience, with emphasis on viol teaching preparation and experience Detailed description of program: type of venue, ages of students served, typical activities planned, how the year's work is organized, sample syllabus for a class Estimated impact of program Specific dates of program Sizes of viol required* *The typical consort in the Consort Loan Program is 2 trebles, 2 tenors and bass, appropriate for high school and middle school. For younger children, a consort of small viols may be available. Please discuss your needs with the Program Administrator. If your application is approved, you will be required to send in a signed copy of the Consort Loan Program Agreement . ​ Costs and responsibilities involved in the Consort Loan Program: A security deposit of $500 is required, which will be refunded after the five viols are returned to VdGSA in the same playing condition as they arrived The applying teacher is responsible for all loss or damage to the viols VdGSA will pay for all viol shipping Periodic reports on the program by e-mail to the program administrator are expected semi-annually throughout the term of the loan, coinciding with the meetings of the Board of Directors Care and maintenance: Instruments will be sent in playing condition. It is the teacher's responsibility to replace any broken strings or frets before returning the consort. Any other problems must be reported to the program administrator to determine what action is to be taken. Teachers may apply to VdGSA for financial help in maintaining the viols; contact the Consort Loan Program Administrator with your request. ​ Shipping: The VdGSA will pay for shipping the consort to the teacher and back to the VdGSA. The teacher is responsible for any costs incurred by the VdGSA in retrieving an instrument, case and bow, including legal fees, and costs of repair of any damage. VdGSA strongly recommends that the recipient save the packing materials for the eventual return of the instruments. Packing materials, including the correct size of box, can be expensive and hard to find, so reusing these items is both convenient and cost effective. The VdGSA will not pay for replacing these materials for return shipment. Before returning the viols, please contact the Consort Loan Program Administrator first for detailed packing and shipping instructions. Please contact the Consort Loan Program Administrator with any and all questions about this program.

Members' Area Chapters info About VdGSA Chapters ​ A Chapter is a local organization of viol players which is affiliated with the VdGSA. Looking for a Chapter near you? Check out the Area Representatives and Chapters page. ​ At a minimum, a Chapter of the Society has the following attributes: It has an organizational structure, including a Chapter Representative to VdGSA; It has an open membership; It holds meetings for the purpose of playing the viol; It maintains contact with its membership via a newsletter or other means; It encourages its members to become members of VdGSA; It keeps its Chapter Representative contact information up-to-date with the Chapter/Area Rep Liaison; It reports annually to the Chapter/Area Rep Liaison about its Chapter events; It administers the Chapter Conclave Voucher Program for its members. Over and above these minimum requirements, a Chapter is free to engage in other activities in its quest to stay viable. ​ Chapters are separate, autonomous organizations. VdGSA is not legally responsible for any Chapter activities, and VdGSA cannot share with Chapters its 501(c)(3) tax status or non-profit bulk-mail privileges. Hints for running a successful Chapter The Society places no restrictions as to the type of organization, nor does it impose a minimum on the number of Chapter members. Experience with other early music society chapters, however, points to serious burn-out problems if the organization is not large enough to protect the one or two doers from overload. To this end, the Society recommends an organizational structure consisting of officers and a board of directors totaling about nine people. This would set a practical minimum membership of about nine. Keep in mind that once you have set up shop, viol players will start streaming out of the woodwork to join. Each Chapter is encouraged to provide the VdGSA Webmaster with a reference URL to its own web site to be placed on the Area Representatives and Chapters page to help promote your Chapter. Contact the Webmaster . How to Start a VdGSA Chapter Read the VdGSA Chapter Policy If your organization qualifies as a VdGSA Chapter, fill out the Chapter Application form . The VdGSA makes available some financial assistance for new chapters. Read Chapter Start-up Grants for details! Email or post the completed Chapter Application Form (and Chapter Start-up Grant Application Form, if you are also applying for a Start-up Grant) to: Chapters and Areas Representative Amy Domingues To send a hard copy, look up Amy's address in the Membership Directory Local Chapter Example Rental Forms While the VdGSA offers an extensive viol rental program, many of the local Chapters also run their own viol rental programs which are available to local members of the Chapter. A Chapter with its own rental program may be more readily accessible to a new viol player interested in taking up the viol. These Chapters shared the wealth of their experience by providing forms they use to manage their programs. Generic versions of these forms are available here to other Chapters who are interested in starting a rental program. These example forms may not meet the needs of an individual Chapter completely, but they offer a good starting place to help get things going. Feel free to download these example forms and modify them to fit the needs of your Chapter. ​ Example Chapter Rental Form - used by the local Chapter as a contract with an individual renter when renting a viol, bow, and case. ​ Example Chapter Lender Form - used by the local Chapter as a contract with an individual who is lending their own instrument to the Chapter in order for it to be rented out to someone else by the Chapter. ​ Example Chapter Viol Renter Data - used by the local Chapter viol rental program administrator to keep track of viols, bows, and cases which are rented as well as payments, maintenance, and contact information.

Members' Area Legal Code of Conduct Copyright Privacy Policy Viola da Gamba Society of America Code of Conduct This Code of Conduct applies to all Viola da Gamba Society of America (“VdGSA”) events. All attendees shall treat all other attendees, as well as staff from the facility at which the VdGSA event is held, with respect, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, and consideration. Discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or marital status will not be tolerated. Discrimination and harassment include but are not limited to any unwelcome physical or verbal conduct, comment, or display that is insulting, humiliating, or degrading to another person, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Sexual harassment includes but is not limited to unwelcome sexual advances or physical contact, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature. Attendees should drink responsibly and avoid excessive use of alcohol. Attendees shall comply with state and local laws governing alcohol and the use of drugs. All attendees are required to follow the rules and guidelines of the facility at which the VdGSA event is held. Any attendee may report a violation of this code to the President, the Music Director, the Chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, or the Young Players’ Representative to the Board. It is the responsibility of staff and teachers and others working as agents of the society to report violations that they observe to the committee referred to in paragraph 8.. Any person acting contrary to this Code of Conduct may be subject to consequences including but not limited to a warning; expulsion from the VdGSA event (with no refund for those who are expelled); or a permanent ban on attending any or all VdGSA events in the future. A committee that includes the President, the Music Director, the Chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and the Young Players’ Representative to the Board shall appoint a committee member to investigate the complaint and the committee shall then determine the consequences.