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Past Performances:

Ergo Musica was conceived by Adriana Zoppo in 2008 as a series of concerts featuring the viola d’amore, but is now the presenter of concerts of various types including those using period instruments. Adriana plays violin, viola, baroque violin and viola, and viola d’amore professionally in California. She is a winner of the Beverly Hills Auditions of the Consortium of Southern California Chamber Music Presenters, and the Director of the Glendale Noon Concerts sub-series featuring Ergo Musica.

The viola d’amore is a string instrument most popular in 17^th & 18^th century Europe, though compositions were written for it into the 1900s. It resembles the violin and viol family of stringed instruments, sharing characteristics with both. Like the violin, it is held up by the arm to play and does not use frets on the fingerboard, its sizes closely resembling those of the viola. It has a flat back, like the viol, and similarly, 6-7 strings. However, the viola d’amore has an equal number of sympathetically vibrating strings that give it unique silvery overtones. It often has the carved head of a blindfolded cupid (“amore”) instead of a scroll.

February 15, 2012 Glendale Noon Concerts
AllDayNight, music & songs
by Frederic Michot & Adriana Zoppo