Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Violists,

It is a great honour for the newly formed Polish Viola Society to be able to host in Poland the 41st International Viola Congress. We would like to warmly thank the International Viola Society and its Presidency for entrusting us with this task.

The International Viola Society (IVS) was founded in Germany in 1968 by Franz Zeyringer (Austria) and Dietrich Bauer (Germany), and is nowadays a worldwide organization. The annual Congresses around the world are designed to review the current state of research on the repertoire, history and other issues regarding the viola, the presentation of the leading instrumentalists as well as exchange of experiences and views in the fields of playing and teaching. The pioneer of this activity in Poland was Tadeusz Gonet (1903-1977), an outstanding teacher and instrumentalist, who also collaborated with Franz Zeyringer on listing the Polish compositions for viola for the latter’s catalogue ‘Literatur für Viola’, and whose studies on viola sheet music for the Polish publishing company PWM are still benefitting later generations. The continuation of this activity has now come back to its roots, as Krakow is hosting the 41st International Viola Congress, for the duration of which Krakow will become the viola centre of Central and Eastern Europe.

Krakow as a centre of research on this instrument has been important to this European region, and with this event we can now join an ever-widening range of international musicians who each year gather to share their experiences at these Congresses.

In Krakow, there is an extensive network of music schools, the Academy of Music being at its head, and for the local students the opportunity to hear violists from many parts of the world is very important: it gives them a chance to gain experience and to inform themselves about the latest research on the instrument. Listening to the performances, attending the master classes and meetings will undeniably be a chance for the students to make up for years spent on the sidelines.

We hope that during these days in Krakow we will able to provide to the musicians from across Poland and to the numerous international guests who have already announced participation in the Congress, as well as to the young musicians, the opportunity of finding one's place in an increasingly globalized world. This event is for music lovers interested in what’s happening in the world in the area of the study of the viola and its literature. Welcome!"

With warmest regards,

Bogusława Hubisz-Sielska

President of the Polish Viola Society

Krakow, April 2013