Conservatory Violists Sweep Ohio Viola Society Competition By Marci Janas '91
			How many violists does it take to walk away with the top prizes in the collegiate division of the Ohio Viola Society Competition? Exactly two -- provided they are students from the Conservatory. Molly Gebrian, of West Hartford, Connecticut, performed Bartok's Viola Concerto and Hindemith's Solo Sonata, op. 41, no. 4 to capture the first prize, a cash award and a masterclass appearance at the competition, which was held at the Conservatory on Sunday, March 7, 2004. A double-degree student in her fifth year at Oberlin, she majors in viola performance in the Conservatory, studying with Professor of Viola Peter Slowik, and in biopsychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. Hannah Shaw, a sophomore from Greenville, South Carolina, won second prize. A student of Associate Professor of Viola Roger Chase, she also performed the Bartok Viola Concerto along with J.S. Bach's Partita No. 3, scored for viola. Alan De Veritch, professor of viola at Indiana University, and Deborah Price, artistic director of the Chamber Music Connection in Columbus, Ohio, adjudicated the competition, which attracted eight violists from conservatories and music schools throughout Ohio.
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