The place and importance of 21st century solo viola works in conservatory viola education

It is known that in classical Western music, various art movements are at the forefront of the elements that define the contemporary music period, and musicians influenced by these movements shape the music with their contemporary approaches. It is seen that in the works of contemporary composers in the 20th century, they prominently processed the sound richness of the viola and brought the solo instrument identity to the fore. It is understood that there are viola works by contemporary composers in the 21st century and that these works are mostly composed in solo form. It is known that in the 21st century, these works are easier to access with the opportunities provided by the internet and technology. In this sense, it is thought that the works are known, included in viola education or performed individually. It is thought that contemporary viola works mostly belong to the 20th century, and viola works composed in the 21st century are not included in viola education in conservatories in Turkey. This research was carried out in order to determine the situation regarding the place and importance of these works in viola education in conservatories in Turkey. It was found necessary to make a preliminary evaluation in order to determine the problem statement, sub-problems and data collection methods of the research; The opinions of two viola educators working in two different institutions on this subject were taken by using semi-structured interview technique. As a result of the interviews, the problem sentence of the research was "What is the Place and Importance of Solo Viola Works Composed in the 21st Century in Viola Education in Conservatories in Turkey?" formed as a question. The data collection method related to the research subject was determined as a survey technique within the scope of qualitative research methods. The viola works included in the research questionnaire were accessed from the websites "Imslp" and "Garthknox"; The subjects related to the content were reached by document scanning method from the relevant sources. Within the limitations of the research, four viola educators working in the conservatories of the universities determined, answered the questionnaire and the findings related to the problem were explained. As a result of the research, the usage situations of the solo viola works of the 21st century in viola education in conservatories in Turkey and the views of the educators on these works have been determined, and the data regarding the problem have been reached. The results related to the subject were interpreted with the descriptive analysis technique, discussed and suggestions were made. Keywords: 21st century, contemporary music era, viola, solo piece, conservatory.