# Primrose International Viola Competition

The Primrose International Viola Competition (PIVC), also referred to as the Primrose Memorial Scholarship Competition (PMSC), is an international music competition for viola players sponsored by the American Viola Society and named for the 20th-century virtuoso William Primrose.
The 17th Primrose International Viola Competition was held June 17–22, 2024 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

## History

International music competitions for instruments such as violin and piano had been held for decades. However, there was a void in the music world to recognize the viola as a major solo instrument. Because of a lack of substantial viola solo literature, the instrument's potential was not realized until the appearance of Lionel Tertis, considered the "father of viola playing". William Primrose continued in Tertis' footsteps of excellence in viola performance, catapulting the instrument on to the international stage. The Primrose International Viola Competition was created in 1979 as the first competition solely for the instrument. In subsequent years other major viola competitions arose: the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, the now defunct Maurice Vieux International Viola Competition and, most recently, the Tokyo International Viola Competition.
The Primrose International Viola Competition has been held regularly since 1986, often in conjunction with biennial meetings of the North American Viola Congress. The competition currently makes its home in Los Angeles, California at the Colburn School. Eligible participants are 29 years and younger of any nationality. The competition involves three rounds during a week-long festival in which entrants perform a required work as well as several choices from a viola repertoire list that includes solo works, sonatas, concertos and transcriptions by Primrose.

## PIVC / PMSC laureates

| PIVC No. | PMSC No. | Year | Location | 1st Prize | 2nd Prize | 3rd Prize | Notes / Jurists |
| 17 | 17 | 2024 | Colburn School Los Angeles, California | Emad Zolfaghari | Kinga Wojdalska | Andy Park | Jury: Ayane Kozasa (Chairman), Atar Arad, Cathy Basrak, Ensik Choi, Steven Dann, Geraldine Walther |
| 16 | 16 | 2021 | Colburn School Los Angeles, California | Natalie Loughran | Samuel Rosenthal | / Nicholas Swensen | Jury: Barry Shiffman (Chairman), Andrés Cárdenes, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Heifetz, Mai Motobuchi, Dimitri Murrath, Chauncey Patterson |
| 15 | 15 | 2018 | Colburn School Los Angeles, California | Hae-Sue Lee | Zoë Martin-Doike | Leonid Plashinov-Johnson | Jury: Lars Anders Tomter (Chairman), Roland Glassl, Kazuhide Isomura, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Xidi Shen, Jon Nakamatsu |
| 14 | 14 | 2014 | Colburn School Los Angeles, California | Zhanbo Zheng | Manuel Vioque-Judde | Cong Wu | Jury: Cathy Basrak, Martin Beaver, Claudine Bigelow, Caroline Coade, Wing Ho, Luis Magín, Massimo Paris, Cassandra Lynne Richburg, Pierre-Henri Xuereb Honorable Mention: Born Lau, Kei Tojo |
| 13 | 13 | 2011 | Robertson & Sons Violins University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico | Ayane Kozasa | / Elias Goldstein | Vicki Powell | Jury: Che-Yen Chen, Kirsten Docter, Wing Ho, Luis Magín, Karen Ritscher, Yizhak Schotten, Barbara Westphal, Juliet White-Smith, Karin Brown Honorable Mention: Da Kyung Kwak, Matthew Lipman |
| 12 | (11) | 2008 | Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona | Dimitri Murrath | Emily Deans | Molly Carr | Held in conjunction with the 36th International Viola Congress. Jury: Claudine Bigelow (Chairman), Ensik Choi, Bruno Pasquier, Carol Rodland, Eugene Sârbu, Amir Shiff, Steven Tenenbom |
| | 10 | 2005 | Brigham Young University Provo, Utah | Jennifer Stumm | David Aaron Carpenter David Kim | — not awarded — | Jury: Matthew Dane (Chairman), Carol Rodland, Daniel Foster, Susan Dubois, Nokuthula Ngwenyama Honorable Mention: Yu Jin |
| | 9 | 2003 | Samford University Homewood, Alabama | Che-Yen (Brian) Chen | Teng Li | Nils Mönkemeyer | Jury: Helen Callus (Chairman), Barbara Hamilton, Michael Palumbo, Kathryn Steely, Dwight Pounds Honorable Mention: Amalia Aubert, Abigail Evans |
| | 8 | 2001 | Elmhurst College Elmhurst, Illinois | Antoine Tamestit | Ula Žebriūnaitė | — not awarded — | Jury: Ralph Fielding, Jerzy Kosmala, Charles Pikler, William Preucil, Juliet White-Smith |
| | 7 | 1999 | University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario | Lawrence Power | Roland Glassl | Elizabeth Freivogel | Held in conjunction with the 27th International Viola Congress. Jury: Ralph Aldrich, Alan deVeritch, Hartmut Lindemann, John White |
| | 6 | 1997 | University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas | Christina Castelli | Rita Porfiris | Karin Brown | Held in conjunction with the 25th International Viola Congress. Jury: Karen Tuttle, Alan deVeritch, David Holland, Karen Ritscher |
| | 5 | 1995 | Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana | Catherine Basrak | Joan DerHovsepian | / Scott Lee | Held in conjunction with the 23rd International Viola Congress. Jury: Donna Lively Clark, James Dunham, Csaba Erdélyi, Abram Skernick, Thomas Tatton, Marcus Thompson |
| | 4 | 1993 | Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois | Nokuthula Ngwenyama | Kathryn Lockwood | — not awarded — | Held in conjunction with the 21st International Viola Congress. Jury: William Preucil (Chairman), David Dalton, Mary Arlin, Paul Coletti, William Magers, Thomas Tatton |
| | 3 | 1991 | Ithaca College Ithaca, New York | Kirsten Docter | Kin-Fung Leung | — not awarded — | Held in conjunction with the 19th International Viola Congress. Jury: Emanuel Vardi (Chairman), Harold Coletta, David Dalton, Rosemary Glyde, Pamela Goldsmith, John White |
| | 2 | 1989 | University of Redlands Redlands, California | Daniel Foster | Ming Pak | Kai Tang | Held in conjunction with the 17th International Viola Congress. Jury: Louis Kievman (Chairman), David Dalton, Alan deVeritch, Roberto Díaz, Rosemary Glyde, Donald McInnes, Dwight Pounds, Sven Reher, Karen Tuttle |
| | 1 | 1987 | University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan | Lynne Richburg | Carla-Maria Rodrigues | Paris Anastasiadis | Held in conjunction with the 15th International Viola Congress. Jury: Robert Oppelt (Chairman), David Dalton, Rosemary Glyde, Nathan Gordon, Louis Kievman, Dwight Pounds, Ann Woodward |
| 1 | — | 1979 | Brigham Young University Provo, Utah | Geraldine Walther | Jun Takahira | Patricia McCarty | Jury: William Primrose, Ralph Aldrich, Joseph de Pasquale |

## Required composition

A compulsory work to be performed by all competitors has been selected for some competitions.
* 2024 – Remembrance for viola and piano by Nokuthula Ngwenyama (b. 1976)
* 2014 – Aldonza, Movement II from the Viola Concerto (2013) by Christian Colberg (b. 1968); Christian Colberg website
* 2011 – Inner Voices for viola solo (2011) by Peter Askim (b. 1971); published by American Viola Society
* 2008 – Recitative for viola solo (2007) by Scott Slapin (b. 1974); published by Liben Music Publishers
* 1991 – Aria and Allegro for viola and string orchestra (1990) by Richard Lane (1933–2004)
* 1989 – Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1989) by Wayne Bohrnstedt (b. 1923)