Melia Watras
Melia Watras is an 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 the fall of 2004, where she is Chair of Strings.
Education
Watras attended Indiana University School of Music, 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 University, 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
Watras's lauded work as a recording artist has 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 works especially for Watras include: Alessandra Barrett, Charles Corey, Brent Michael Davids, Joël-François Durand, Orlando Jacinta García, Richard Karpen, Garth Knox, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Shih-Wei Lo, Sandesh Nagaraj, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Shulamit Ran, Jonathan Rodriquez Grijalva, Kathryn Sullivan, Heinrich Taube, Breana Tavaglione, Diane Thome, Cuong Vu, Andrew Waggoner, Anna Weesner, Frances White and Wei Yang. As a soloist and chamber musician, Watras has given world premieres of works by Atar Arad, Charles Corey, John Corigliano, Brent Michael Davids, Tina Davidson, Alexander De Varon, Joël-François Durand, Orlando Jacinta García, Jesse Jones, Richard Karpen, Garth Knox, Michael Jinsoo Lim, Shih-Wei Lo, Patrick Long, Eric Maestri, Anthony Moore, Jeffrey Mumford, Sandesh Nagaraj, Ichiro Nodaira, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Robert Pound, Shulamit Ran, Jonathan Rodgriguez Grijalva, Adam Silverman, Kathryn Sullivan, Sir John Taverner, Heinrich Taube, Breana Tavaglione, Diane Thome, Dan Visconti, Cuong Vu, Andrew Waggoner, Melia Watras, Anna Weesner, Frances White, Theodore Wiprud, Tamar Witkin, Wei Yang and Mischa Zupko.
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.
In 2024, the American Viola Society presented Watras with the Maurice W. Riley Award for her distinguished contributions to the viola as a performer, composer, teacher and leader.
Composer
Watras's compositions have been performed in US cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Bloomington, and countries including Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and Wales. She has been commissioned by Avalon String Quartet, the American Viola Society, Tekla Cunningham, Mark Fewer, Rachel Lee Priday, Michael Jinsoo Lim, Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, Cristina Valdés, Rose Wollman, and has had works performed by artists such as Atar Arad, Galia Arad, Winston Choi, Catherine Connors, Charles Corey, Frequency Ensemble, Manuel Guillén, Yura Lee, Tawnya Popoff, Carrie Henneman Shaw, Bonnie Whiting and Vina Vu Valdés. Her music has been heard on National Public Radio's Performance Today, and can be found on her albums The almond tree duos;Play/Write; String Masks; 3 Songs for Bellows, Buttons and Keys; Firefly Songs; Schumann Resonances and 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 album.Professor
Watras serves as Professor of Viola and Chair of Strings at the University of Washington, where she holds the Ruth Sutton Waters Endowed Professorship, and was awarded 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 returned on a number of occasions to her alma mater, Indiana, to teach as a guest professor.Discography
Solo recordings
Atar Arad: Caprice Four for viola soloAtar 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
Leilehua Lanzilotti: ko'u inoa for solo viola 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: A brazen butterfly alights for solo viola, harp and strings *; Melia Watras, viola; Valérie Muzzolini, harp; David Alexander Rahbee, conductor; Brazen butterfly ensemble
Melia Watras: Black wing, brown wing for viola solo *
Melia Watras: Lament for viola solo *
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, violasAtar 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
Leilehua Lanzilotti: to be two for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola )
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: 5 Poems of Herbert Woodward Martin for narrator, violin and viola *; Carrie Henneman Shaw, narrator; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: Kreutzer for violin, viola and cello *; Frequency: Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola, Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
Melia Watras: String Masks for voices, viola, violin, Harmonic Canon, Cloud-Chamber Bowls and Bass Marimba
Melia Watras: Berceuse for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: Berceuse with a Singer in London for voice and viola *; Galia Arad, voice; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: Firefly for voices and cello *; Melia Watras, voice; Michael Jinsoo Lim, voice; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
Melia Watras: The Lesson for recorded voice, violin and viola *; Atar Arad, recorded voice; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: Liquid Voices for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: Lontano for violin and viola *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola
Melia Watras: O. Reverie for narrator and violin *; Melia Watras, narrator; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin
Melia Watras: for voice, viola and cello *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, voice; Melia Watras, viola; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
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
Melia Watras: Viola for narrator and viola *; Arturo Alto, narrator; Melia Watras, viola
Frances White: As night falls for violin, viola, narrator and electronic sound *; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola; Sheila Daniels, narrator