Melia Watras


Melia Watras is a prominent American violist, composer and professor of viola. She is a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist, who has commissioned, premiered and recorded numerous new compositions, and appeared at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall. Her compositions have been performed in the United States and Europe. Educated at Indiana University and the Juilliard School, Watras has been on the faculty of the University of Washington in Seattle since 2005.

Education

Watras attended Indiana University, where she studied with Abraham Skernick and Atar Arad, earning bachelor's and master's degrees and the prestigious Performer's Certificate. While at Indiana, she served as Arad's teaching assistant. She studied chamber music at the Juilliard School, while also teaching as an assistant to the Juilliard String Quartet.

Career

Performing and recording artist

As a recording artist, Watras has garnered considerable attention and praise from the media. Her solo CDs have been recognized by publications such as Gramophone, The Strad, and Strings. She has been heard on numerous radio programs, including NPR's All Things Considered and Performance Today, and a live performance for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.
Composers that have written solo viola works especially for Watras include: Brent Michael Davids, Richard Karpen, Shih-Wei Lo, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Shulamit Ran, Kathryn Sullivan, Heinrich Taube, Diane Thome, Andrew Waggoner, and Anna Weesner. As a soloist and chamber musician, Watras has given world premieres of works by Atar Arad, John Corigliano, Brent Michael Davids, Tina Davidson, Alexander De Varon, Joël-François Durand, Jesse Jones, Richard Karpen, Garth Knox, Michael Jinsoo Lim, Shih-Wei Lo, Patrick Long, Eric Maestri, Anthony Moore, Jeffrey Mumford, Ichiro Nodaira, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Robert Pound, Shulamit Ran, Adam Silverman, Kathryn Sullivan, Sir John Taverner, Heinrich Taube, Diane Thome, Dan Visconti, Cuong Vu, Andrew Waggoner, Melia Watras, Anna Weesner, Frances White, Theodore Wiprud, Tamar Witkin and Mischa Zupko.
Watras is violist of the Seattle-based ensemble, Frequency, for whom she has composed, and a member of Open End, with whom she has performed in France, Denmark and the United States and recorded for Albany Records. For twenty years, Watras concertized worldwide and recorded extensively as violist of the renowned Corigliano Quartet, which she co-founded. The ensemble's album on the Naxos label was honored as one of the Ten Best Classical Recordings of the Year by The New Yorker. Other chamber music explorations include improvising in concert with jazz innovators Cuong Vu and Ted Poor. She and Vu premiered and recorded a work of his for viola and trumpet.

Composer

Watras's compositions have been performed in New York City, Chicago, Seattle, Bloomington, Denmark and Spain, by artists such as violist Atar Arad, cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, pianist Winston Choi, singer Galia Arad, and violinists Manuel Guillén, Yura Lee and Michael Jinsoo Lim. Her music has been heard on National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and can be found on her albums Schumann Resonances and 26. Her music appears on her album 26. Watras's adaptation of John Corigliano's Fancy on a Bach Air for viola is published by G. Schirmer, Inc. and can be heard on her Viola Solo CD.

Professor

Watras serves as Professor of Viola and chair of Strings at the University of Washington, where she holds the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professorship and was awarded the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Fellowship and the Royalty Research Fund. Watras has given viola and chamber music classes throughout the United States and abroad, at schools such as Indiana University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Strasbourg Conservatoire, and Chosun University. She has twice returned to her alma mater, Indiana, to teach as a guest professor.

Discography

Solo recordings

Atar Arad: Caprice Four for viola solo

Atar Arad: Sonata for Viola Solo

J.S. Bach/Kodály: Chromatic Fantasy

Luciano Berio: Naturale for solo viola, percussion and recorded voice

Rebecca Clarke: Passacaglia on an Old English Tune for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano

John Corigliano : Fancy on a Bach Air for solo viola*

Brent Michael Davids: Viola Jokes for viola and tenor *; with William George, tenor

Georges Enescu: Concert Piece for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano

Betsy Jolas: Episode sixième for viola solo *

Richard, Karpen: Aperture for amplified viola and interactive electronics *

György Ligeti: Loop from Sonata for viola solo

Juan Pampin: Nada for viola and live electronics *

Krzystof Penderecki: Cadenza per Viola Solo

Quincy Porter: Speed Etude for viola and piano

Paola Prestini: Sympathique*

Shulamit Ran: Perfect Storm for viola solo *

Igor Stravinsky: Elégie

Heinrich Taube: Tacoma Narrows for viola and tape *

Diane Thome: And Yet... for viola and computer realized sound *

Henri Vieuxtemps: Elégie for viola and piano, Op. 30; with Kimberly Russ, piano

Dan Visconti: Hard-Knock Stomp for viola solo *

Andrew Waggoner: Collines parmi étoiles... *

Andrew Waggoner: Elle s’enfuit for viola and piano *; with Kimberly Russ, piano

Melia Watras: Sonata for viola solo *

Melia Watras: Photo by Mikel for viola solo *

Anna Weesner: Flexible Parts for viola and piano *; with Kimberly Russ, piano

Henryk Wieniawski: Rêverie for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano

Chamber music recordings (selected)

Atar Arad: Esther for two violas *; Atar Arad and Melia Watras, violas

Atar Arad: Toccatina a la Turk for two violas *; Atar Arad and Melia Watras, violas


Luciano Berio: Black is the color... for mezzo-soprano, viola and harp; Galia Arad, voice; Melia Watras viola; Valerie Muzzolini-Gordon, harp

Richard Karpen: Bicinium for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola

Richard Karpen: Tertium Quid for violin, viola and piano *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano

Garth Knox: Stranger for viola and viola d’amore *; Melia Watras, viola; Garth Knox, viola d’amore

George Rochberg: Sonata for viola and piano ; Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano

Robert Schumann: Märchenbilder  for viola and piano, Op. 113; Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano

Cuong Vu: Porch Music viola and trumpet *; Melia Watras, viola; Cuong Vu, trumpet

Melia Watras: Berceuse with a Singer in London for voice and viola *; Galia Arad, voice; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Liquid Voices for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Schumann Resonances for viola and piano *; Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano

Melia Watras: Source for viola, percussion and violin *; Melia Watras, viola; Matthew Kocmieroski, percussion; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin

Recordings of music composed by Melia Watras

Melia Watras: Berceuse with a Singer in London for voice and viola *; Galia Arad, voice; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Liquid Voices for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Luminous Points for violin solo *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin

Melia Watras: Photo by Mikel for viola solo *; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Prelude for viola solo *; Atar Arad, viola

Melia Watras: Schumann Resonances for viola and piano *; Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano

Melia Watras: Sonata for viola solo *; Melia Watras, viola

Melia Watras: Source for viola, percussion and violin *; Melia Watras, viola; Matthew Kocmieroski, percussion; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin

* denotes world premiere recording

Compositions

Selected works by Melia Watras:

Solo

Violin:

Homage to Swan Lake for violin solo

Selvaggio for violin solo

Doppelgänger Dances for violin solo

William Wilson for voice and violin

Luminous Points for violin solo

Viola:

Black wing, brown wing for viola solo

Lament for viola solo

Prelude for viola solo

Sonata for viola solo

Photo by Mikel for viola solo

Cello:

Vetur for cello solo

Vetur öngum lánar lið for voice and cello

Prelude for cello solo

Voice:

Mozart Doesn't Live in Seattle for voice

Recorded Voice:

Seeing Cypresses with Catherine C. for recorded voice

Chamber music

Violin and viola:

Blue-violet for violin and viola

Dahlia for violin and viola

Lontano for violin and viola

Vetur öngum lánar lið for violin and viola

Wise Tentacles for violin and viola

Berceuse for violin and viola

Liquid Voices for violin and viola

Violin and cello:

Vetur öngum lánar lið for violin and cello

Wise Tentacles for violin and cello

Violin, viola and cello:

Kreutzer for violin, viola and cello

Two violas:

Blue-violet for two violas

Dahlia for two violas

Viola and piano:

Schumann Resonances for viola and piano

Viola, percussion and violin:

Source for viola, percussion and violin

Voice and violin:

O. Reverie for voice and violin

William Wilson for voice and violin

Voice and viola:

Viola for narrator and viola

Berceuse for a Singer in London for voice and viola

Voice and cello:

Firefly for voices and cello

Vetur öngum lánar lið for voice and cello

Voice, viola and cello:

for voice, viola and cello

Voices, viola, Harmonic Canon, Cloud-Chamber Bowls and Bass Marimba:

String Masks for voices, viola, Harmonic Canon, Cloud-Chamber Bowls and Bass Marimba

Recorded voice, violin and viola:

The Lesson for recorded voice, violin and viola

Various voices and instruments:

Folk Style Project for various voices and instruments