Sponsored article courtesy Arts Barn. Interview conducted by Kevin Adler.
The 2025–26 Arts Barn Concert Series in Gaithersburg will open on November 15 with a performance by Karin Brown, assistant principal viola for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In the Q&A below, she shares insights about the compositions she will be performing: Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata; Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano; Alessandro Scarlatti’s Cello Sonata in D Minor; and Robert Schumann’s Märchenbilder. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are available online.
A teacher and musician, Ms. Brown is at the center of a multi-generational musical family. Her mother was a concert violinist, and her father, Ray Brown, was a jazz trumpet player with Stan Kenton. Her husband, Daniel Levitov, is a cellist, and with their twin daughters, Arabella and Imogen, they perform as the Brown/Levitov Family Band, showcasing jazz arrangements by Ray Brown.
The Arts Barn Concert Series presents acclaimed artists from classical and jazz to folk, traditional, global music, and more, offering exceptional performances in an intimate, welcoming setting.
Arts Barn: Let’s start with the basics. What’s the difference between a viola and a violin?
Brown: That’s a great question! A viola is slightly larger than a violin, and it produces a lower, rounder, warmer tone. The strings are slightly different as well: a viola has A, D, G, and C strings, whereas a violin is E, A, D, G. That “C” string on a viola gives the warm, velvety texture. One way to think of it is that we have the same strings as the cello, but an octave higher.
It’s also interesting that there isn’t a standard size for a viola, but there is for a violin. Violas can range from just a little larger than a violin to quite a bit bigger. And they can be different shapes as well. For example, the lower bout where you hold the instrument can be wide or narrower, and the ribs can be thick or thin. So, when you’re looking for a viola, you have to find the right one.
Arts Barn: Well, have you found the right one?
Brown: I think I have. I’m very fortunate to own a Roman instrument from the 1750s made by Julius Caesar Gigli. It’s been my companion for the last 15 years or so, and it’s on the smaller end of the size range.
Arts Barn: Are you a soloist for this concert, or will you have accompaniment?
Brown: I will be assisted by a wonderful pianist by the name of Minji Nam. She’s very accomplished. This will be my first public performance with her, but it’s not my first performance of some of the works, nor hers. It’s going to be very exciting.
Arts Barn: Let’s talk about a couple of the pieces you will be playing.
Brown: The Rebecca Clarke Viola Sonata is such a powerful work. It starts out very triumphant, but then there are swirls of insecurity and darkness. There’s a lot of impressionistic colors, but then it comes back to that triumphant feeling. It’s very virtuosic, and it’s very challenging technically. But it’s so rewarding.
Clarke was also a violist, so she writes so beautifully for the instrument. She writes so cleverly, with such nuance. You feel she really knew how to write for the different strings and their tone quality. It’s a special aspect of the sonata.
Arts Barn: What about Clara Schumann’s Three Romances?
Brown: I’ve not performed the Clara Schumann or Alessandro Scarlatti’s Cello Sonata publicly, and that’s very exciting for me. The Clara Schumann Romances are so incredibly charming and painful; they’re just stunning. Though they’re originally written for violin, they work beautifully on viola. Minji suggested we look into that work, and I’m so grateful for her suggestion.
Arts Barn: Two of the four compositions are by women. Please tell us about your focus on women composers.
Brown: I really enjoy programming works by women. I’m a teacher as well, and I’m committed to exposing my students to women composers and composers of color. For example, Clara Schumann did not have as many opportunities as her husband, Robert, but she has so much to say. It’s a tragedy she did not get more attention during her time.
Arts Barn: Do you approach a solo concert differently than your performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra?
Brown: Being in the orchestra is an absolutely wonderful and dynamic thing, like a big family working together. I’m working with ten or eleven violists in a section trying to shape our part together, and that’s in the midst of all the other orchestral instruments. Also, we’re trying to make the interpretation of our conductor come to life.
At the same time, it’s exciting to be able to break out as a soloist or, in this case, collaborate with a pianist. Minji and I have more control over interpretation, timing, color, tempo — all those sorts of different things I don’t necessarily get to decide when I play with the BSO. There’s more independence, but there’s more pressure as a solo voice. There’s no hiding, and we have to make sure our sound and our colors are really coming across in a solo capacity. I probably want to use more overt phrasing to really get that across.
Arts Barn: One final topic. It’s likely that some people who attend the concert will listen to performances of the pieces online in advance. How do you feel about the proliferation on YouTube or elsewhere of classical performances?
Brown: I think it’s so helpful, especially if you are doing research, learning a piece, or looking for pieces by a certain composer. So much is available to you these days, which was not the case when I was growing up or at the Oberlin Conservatory or Juilliard. I was a student in the era of CDs, and a lot of times recordings were not necessarily available. Having access is a pretty wonderful thing.
Arts Barn: Yet, it’s a complement to live music, but not a substitute.
Brown: Right. People can do research and have an idea of what they are coming to hear. But at the same time, if you listen on YouTube you miss a little of the spontaneity of a live performance. No live performance is the same as YouTube, and there’s always much to be surprised by.
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36017/performance/11698431?performanceId=11698431
