How The Viola Gained Its Voice | Ethos Chamber Players and ConTempo Studios

Ethos Chamber Players and ConTempo Studios bring the viola into the spotlight, tracing its rise from background role to solo voice

Ethos Chamber Players closes its Spring 2026 season with How The Viola Gained Its Voice, a collaboration with ConTempo Studios exploring the journey of the viola from a background instrument to a compelling solo voice.

Often described as the “Cinderella” of the string family, the viola spent much of its history in the shadow of the violin and cello—essential to the texture, but rarely in the spotlight. This program explores how that began to change. Blending performance with brief insights along the way, the concert follows that transformation through a mix of original works and transcriptions, revealing how composers gradually explored more of the viola’s unique, introspective sound, paving the way for it to step out of its supporting role and into its own voice—rich, expressive, and unmistakably its own.

The program also expands beyond the music itself into an interdisciplinary experience, incorporating visual art by Alejandra Molina Fuentes and optional interactive elements that add another layer to the overall presentation.

Performers

Konrad Rudowicz, viola

Merit Rogge, viola

Alona Khoptynets, piano

Khoren Ouzounian, piano

Program

Franz Schubert – Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D. 821
• I. Allegro moderato

Max Bruch – Romance, Op. 85

Frank Bridge - Lament

Rebecca Clarke – Passacaglia on an Old English Tune

Rebecca Clarke – Morpheus

Sergei Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet
• Dance of the Knights
• Balcony Scene

Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel (arranged for two violas)

Ethos Chamber Players Concert Series

The Ethos Chamber Players Concert Series is a new chamber music initiative in the Magnolia / The Woodlands area, bringing the beauty of chamber music to audiences in an intimate setting. Initiated through the Ethos School of the Arts, the series builds on an established local community of classical music enthusiasts, presenting performances at our scenic, forest-surrounded venue.

ConTempo Studios

ConTempo Studios is an interdisciplinary arts 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing high-caliber, boundary-breaking performances that fuse live music with diverse artistic disciplines. The mission is to make art accessible and inclusive while giving artists a platform to experiment and step outside the confines of their traditional roles.