Cascadia Viols holds workshops, as well as online mini-workshops throughout each year. Our events are led by professional violists, who are invited to develop a musical theme and teach the music to attendees on a single day. Workshop themes may revolve entirely around a specific composer, musical style, or could be focused on a specific technical aspect of viol playing. The main purpose of our workshops is to allow players the opportunity to play in a consort and work on accessible and more challenging music in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
All in-person workshops take place at St. Michael’s & All Angels Church 1704 NE 43rd Ave, Portland OR unless otherwise specified.
In-Person Workshop Fees: $55 for Members | $75 for Non-Members.
During the workshop registration process, players will be asked to self-identify their playing level, using the Viola da Gamba Society of America’s rating system. Although our events are accessible to most playing levels, players should have a good understanding of their instrument, including fingerings, bowing, string crossings, as well as be proficient at reading sheet music.
Our in-person workshops begin at 9:30am and end at 4:00pm (including a one-hour lunch break) at St. Michael and All Angels Church at 1704 NE 43rd Ave in Portland, Oregon. Depending on the theme prepared by the professional presenter, we will either remain in a large group throughout the entire day, or begin in a large group and break into smaller groups in the afternoon. Attendees will be put into split groups based on their self-identified playing level during registration.
Registration closes 7 days prior to the workshop date posted on our website. Attendees will then receive an email containing log-in information to download the music from our website. Included in the files is a part-assignment document, which will list all the workshop attendees and their part assignments.
Yes! All attendees must be vaccinated for COVID-19, and must be able to provide proof of vaccination if asked by the workshop staff. Although we do not currently mandate mask usage, we monitor Multnomah County health guidance, and will adjust our guidelines based upon professional health information available. If you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at info@cascadiaviols.org
As the experience of the other players at the workshop depends on the attendance of everyone, we ask that you please inform us at info@cascadiaviols.org as soon as you know you are unable to attend. Of course, we ask that any person who feels too unwell to attend to please stay home. If you are unable to attend, you will be offered a full refund of your registration fee or you can donate the fee to Cascadia viols if you wish.
David Morris | October 11, 2025
A Tudor Trio: Tye, Tallis and Parsley
We will spend our morning looking at works by three leading lights of the English 16th century, all three of whom wrote works specifically for viols in addition to sacred choral works: Christopher Tye and Thomas Tallis both personally served every Tudor monarch from Henry VIII to Elizabeth, while Osbert Parsley spent most of his life associated with Norwich Cathedral in East Anglia (and performed for Queen Elizabeth during one of her “royal progress” visits). We will explore a sampling of their works and learn a bit about their lives and the context of their compositional output.
Caroline Nicolas | November 1, 2025
Exploring the French Chanson with Sermisy & Janequin
The 16th-century French chanson was the “pop music” of its day, and it still delights musicians today. This workshop will focus on the genre from a performer’s perspective. We will work on both musical and technical ideas, with the goal of bringing out the expressive nuance and charm of this repertoire. Of particular focus will be Claude de Sermisy (c. 1490-1562), Clément Janequin (1485-1558), as well as Josquin des Prez (c. 1455-1521) and Jean Mouton (1459-1522). This session aims to deepen the student’s understanding of polyphonic phrasing, ensemble skills, and bow control.
Francois Joubert-Caillet | December 6, 2025 (Online Workshop)
Workshop Topic Forthcoming
John Cox | February 21, 2026
Workshop Topic Forthcoming
Wendy Gillespie | March 21, 2026
Workshop Topic Forthcoming
Malachai Bandy | May 16, 2026
Workshop Topic Forthcoming