Melia Watras

Education

Watras attended Indiana University, 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, 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.

Performing and recording artist

As a recording artist, Watras has garnered considerable attention and praise from the media. Her solo CDs have been recognized by publications such as Gramophone (which hailed her as “an artist of commanding and poetic personality”), The Strad, ("staggeringly virtuosic") and Strings (“Watras is a young player in possession of stunning virtuosic talent and deserving of the growing acclaim”). 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 solo viola works especially for Watras include: Brent Michael Davids, Richard Karpen, Shih-Wei Lo, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Shulamit Ran, Kathryn Sullivan, Heinrich Taube, Diane Thome, Andrew Waggoner, and Anna Weesner. As a soloist and chamber musician, Watras has given world premieres of works by Atar Arad, John Corigliano, Brent Michael Davids, Tina Davidson, Alexander De Varon, Joël-François Durand, Jesse Jones, Richard Karpen, Garth Knox, Michael Jinsoo Lim, Shih-Wei Lo, Patrick Long, Eric Maestri, Anthony Moore, Jeffrey Mumford, Ichiro Nodaira, Juan Pampin, Joshua Parmenter, Robert Pound, Shulamit Ran, Adam Silverman, Kathryn Sullivan, Sir John Taverner, Heinrich Taube, Diane Thome, Dan Visconti, Andrew Waggoner, Anna Weesner, Frances White, Theodore Wiprud, Tamar Witkin and Mischa Zupko.

Watras is violist of the Seattle-based ensemble, Frequency, for whom she has composed, and a member of Open End, with whom she has performed in France, Denmark and the United States and recorded for Albany Records. 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. Other chamber music explorations include improvising in concert with jazz innovators Cuong Vu and Ted Poor. She and Vu premiered and recorded a work of his for viola and trumpet.

Composer

Watras’s compositions have been performed in New York City, Chicago, Seattle, Bloomington (IN), Denmark and Spain, by artists such as violist Atar Arad, cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim. Her music appears on her album 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 CD.

Professor

Watras serves as Professor of Viola and chair of Strings at the University of Washington, where she holds the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professorship and was awarded the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Fellowship and 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 (France), and Chosun University (South Korea). She has twice returned to her alma mater, Indiana, to teach as a guest professor.

Solo recordings

Atar Arad: Caprice Four (George) for viola solo (2003) (CD SLE 70002)
Atar Arad: Sonata for Viola Solo (1992) (CD FDS 57962)
J.S. Bach/Kodály: Chromatic Fantasy (CD FDS 57962)
Luciano Berio: Naturale for solo viola, percussion and recorded voice (19850; with Matthew Kocmieroski, percussion (CD SLE 70002)
Rebecca Clarke: Passacaglia on an Old English Tune for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)
John Corigliano (arr. Watras): Fancy on a Bach Air (1997) for solo viola* (CD FDS 57962)
Brent Michael Davids: Viola Jokes for viola and tenor (2005)*; with William George, tenor (CD FDS 57992)
Georges Enescu: Concert Piece for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)
Betsy Jolas: Episode sixième for viola solo (1984)* (CD FDS 58007)
Richard, Karpen: Aperture for amplified viola and interactive electronics (2006)* (CD FDS 57992)
György Ligeti: Loop (1994) from Sonata for viola solo (CD FDS 58007)
Juan Pampin: Nada for viola and live electronics (2006)* (CD FDS 57992)
Krzystof Penderecki: Cadenza per Viola Solo (CD FDS 57962)
Quincy Porter: Speed Etude for viola and piano (CD FDS 58007)
Paola Prestini: Sympathique* (CD FDS 57962)
Shulamit Ran: Perfect Storm for viola solo (2010)* (CD SLE 70002)
Igor Stravinsky: Elégie (CD FDS 57962)
Heinrich Taube: Tacoma Narrows for viola and tape (2006)* (CD FDS 57992)
Diane Thome: And Yet... for viola and computer realized sound (2006)* (CD FDS 57992)
Henri Vieuxtemps: Elégie for viola and piano, Op. 30; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)
Dan Visconti: Hard-Knock Stomp for viola solo (2000)* (CD FDS 58007)
Andrew Waggoner: Collines parmi étoiles... (2003)* (CD FDS 57962)
Andrew Waggoner: Elle s’enfuit for viola and piano (2008)*; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)
Melia Watras: Sonata for viola solo (2012)* (CD SLE 70007)
Melia Watras: Photo by Mikel for viola solo (2012)* (CD SLE 70007)
Anna Weesner: Flexible Parts for viola and piano (2008)*; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)
Henryk Wieniawski: Rêverie for viola and piano; with Kimberly Russ, piano (CD FDS 58007)

Chamber Music recordings (selected)

Atar Arad: Esther for two violas (2008)*; Atar Arad and Melia Watras, violas (CD SLE 70007)
Atar Arad: Toccatina a la Turk for two violas (2008)*; Atar Arad and Melia Watras, violas (CD SLE 70007)
Luciano Berio: Black is the color… (from Folk Songs) for mezzo-soprano, viola and harp; Galia Arad, voice; Melia Watras viola; Valerie Muzzolini-Gordon, harp (CD SLE 70002)
Richard Karpen: Bicinium for violin and viola (2014)*; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola (CD SLE 70007)
Garth Knox: Stranger for viola and viola d’amore (2014)*; Melia Watras, viola; Garth Knox, viola d’amore (CD SLE 70007)
George Rochberg: Sonata for viola and piano (1979); Melia Watras, viola; Winston Choi, piano (CD SLE 70002)
Melia Watras: Liquid Voices for violin and viola (2013)*; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola (CD SLE 70006)

Recordings of music composed by Melia Watras

Melia Watras: Prelude for viola solo (2014)*; Atar Arad, viola (CD SLE 70007)
Melia Watras: Luminous Points for violin solo (2013)*; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin (CD SLE 70007)
Melia Watras: Liquid Voices for violin and viola (2013)*; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin; Melia Watras, viola (CD SLE 70006)
Melia Watras: Sonata for viola solo (2012)*; Melia Watras, viola( CD SLE 70007)
Melia Watras: Photo by Mikel for viola solo (2012)*; Melia Watras, viola (CD SLE 70007)
* denotes world premiere recording

Compositions

Selected works by Melia Watras:

Solo

Violin:
Doppelgänger Dances for violin solo (2017)
William Wilson for voice and violin (2016) (Can be played by 1 or 2 performers)
Luminous Points for violin solo (2013)

Viola:
Lament for viola solo (2016)
Prelude for viola solo (2014)
Sonata for viola solo (2012)
Photo by Mikel for viola solo (2012)

Cello:
Vetur for cello solo (2016)
Vetur öngum lánar lið for voice and cello (2016) (can be played by 1 or 2 performers)
Prelude for cello solo (2014)

Chamber Music

Viola and piano:
Schumann Resonances for viola and piano (2015)

Viola, percussion and violin:
Source for viola, percussion and violin (2015)

Violin and viola:
Berceuse for violin and viola (2015)
Liquid Voices for violin and viola (2013)

Violin, viola and cello:
Kreutzer for violin, viola and cello (2016)

Voice and cello:
Vetur öngum lánar lið for voice and cello (2016)

Voice and viola:
Viola for narrator and viola (2017)
Berceuse for a Singer in London for voice and viola (2015)

Voice and violin:
William Wilson for voice and violin (2016)