Welcome

We are delighted you are surfing our website – this means you must either be a violist or someone who would love to be a violist!

We hope that you will enjoy looking around our website and that you will want to contribute in some way. The British Viola Society has charitable objectives and all the people on the board work as volunteers, giving of their time for the greater good of the viola and its protagonists.

The British Viola Society publishes a regular newsletter, emailed direct to members. Back issues are on this website. The BVS Annual Journal for 2012, 2013 and 2014 can also be downloaded from the website. If anyone would like to advertise or contribute articles to our publications please write to Sue Douglas (Secretary) at the address on the contact page or click to email

Please do feel free to contribute information to the various sections of the website. Please email either Sue Douglas or Louise Lansdown with any information you would like adding.

The site is regularly updated with current and upcoming viola events, new compositions, appointments, teachers, luthiers, publications and news – so please contact us to add your own.

This is a forum for violists around the UK to be in touch and tell everyone what you are doing.

If you would like to join, there is a membership form and you can pay via bank transfer online. The membership fee is £20.00 a year per person. All membership money goes direct to support viola related activities, in particular to run the website, create opportunities for violists, obtain discounts at viola events and to host one official British Viola Society Event every year. BVS Members receive a newsletter by email, to share information, advertise events and promote viola activities across the country.

If you would like to organize any British Viola Society Events in your area – no matter how small or big – just tell us and all your friends and we can help you advertise!

The British Viola Society is a section of the International Viola Society, and this means that there is of course the annual International Viola Congress that you could also attend. ABRAV, the Brazilian Viola Society, will be hosting the 49th IVS Congress in 2024! It will be the first time that this important event will take place in South America, hosted at Unicamp in Campinas which is northwest of São Paulo. These international events are the most wonderful celebration of our instrument, bringing together performers, pedagogues, composers, luthiers and students from around the world. If you would like to know more about the International Viola Society please look at the website: http://www.internationalviolasociety.org/

Welcome and we hope you enjoy our new website.

Dr Louise Lansdown
President, British Viola Society