On Tuesday, March 4, at 2:00 p.m., violinist Elation Pauls will bring her captivating Sustenance II concert to the Rady Jewish Community Center as part of the Music and Mavens Concert and Lecture Series. Featuring works by prominent Canadian composers, as well as classical pieces by Ravel and John Williams, the concert promises to be an emotionally resonant exploration of sustenance, resilience, and the power of music in uncertain times.
Pauls, who serves as assistant principal violinist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, conceived the Sustenance project during the pandemic as a way to stay connected to music when live performances were no longer an option. Reflecting on the origins of the project, Pauls shared, "During the pandemic, it was difficult for everybody, as we know. I felt so useless as a musician without an audience. And I’m not a frontline worker, I’m not a healthcare worker, and I just really wanted to contribute in some way."
In a moment of deep reflection, Pauls decided to commission new works by Canadian composers, using art as a means to contribute meaningfully during challenging times. "With the many days and weeks spent at home, just contemplating, you know, how can I truly make some sort of meaningful contribution in this time?" Pauls said. "Bringing new works of art to the scene and contributing my own voice just seemed like a good fit."
The upcoming Sustenance II concert showcases some of the remarkable pieces that will be featured on her upcoming album, set to release on May 13. Notably, the concert will include performances of works by Canadian composers such as Serouj Krajian, whose Armenian-Canadian background influences his compositions, "We’re going to be playing two of Serouj Krajian’s works on Tuesday that are really just fantastic fun pieces," Pauls explained. "Tango Melancholico as well as Sari Aghchik."
Another piece featured in the concert will include a work by Carmen Braden, his work Foxy Fox's Musical Games for Violin and Piano, which Pauls described as "really playful" and requiring "a little bit of audience participation."
Pauls will be joined onstage by renowned pianist Paul Williamson, with whom she has previously collaborated. "I’m really looking forward to working more closely with him on this concert," Pauls said. "We’ve collaborated together once at the Agassi Festival with Paul Marleyn, and he performed on the Rosamunde Festival series last summer."
Pauls’s Sustenance II program will also feature classical works like Ravel's Kaddish from his Deux mélodies hébraïques and the theme from Schindler’s List, pieces she says express mourning and grief. "I think these two pieces really, you know, are very meaningful, very expressive, emotionally lamenting and mourning," she shared. "And then we are actually going to end the program with Beethoven's final movement from his Kreutzer Sonata, which is just one of the most uplifting and joyful movements written for violin and piano."
As for what Pauls hopes audiences will take away from the performance, she said, "I hope that they hear something that sticks with them, or some very familiar melodies, and that they walk out feeling, you know, a little bit more vibrant, maybe having been moved, having felt a little bit more deeply and also been renewed in their energy."
For Pauls, sharing Canadian music with audiences is deeply meaningful. "As a classical musician, I love the standard repertoire," she said. "But we’re living in 2025, and so many of these composers today have a really important voice speaking to events that we are, you know, facing today."
Don't miss this chance to experience Sustenance II at the Rady JCC on March 4 at 2:00 p.m., where music and meaningful reflection will intertwine for an unforgettable afternoon.