The Strathcona Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 (SSO) guest soloist, Gregory Lewis, will perform one of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky鈥檚 most difficult violin pieces, Violin Concerto in D Major.
In the final performance for the season, the SSO鈥檚 concert From Dark to Light! will also feature Symphony No. 5 in E Minor. This 鈥渘ot to be missed鈥� event will be on May 24 (7 p.m.) at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay and May 25 (7 p.m.) at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River.
Award-winning Canada Council for the Arts recipient Lewis grew up in Thunder Bay and left at the age of 16 to pursue his musical education and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Winnipeg before relocating to the U.S. to get a master鈥檚 degree at Yale University. He is now pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree while simultaneously playing in Yale鈥檚 award-winning Quartet in Residence, the Callisto Quartet.
Lewis鈥� connection with SSO Music Director and solo cellist, Helena Jung, dates to 2017 when he first performed on Vancouver Island with Campbell River-born pianist, Carter Johnson. Johnson introduced Lewis to Jung and the three musicians toured Vancouver Island in 2018 and 2019. Jung contacted Lewis in early 2023 with the idea of performing Tchaikovsky鈥檚 violin concerto with the SSO and Gregory enthusiastically agreed to the request.
During his performance with the SSO, concertgoers will get to listen to the 1768 鈥淢iller鈥� Galiano violin, which Lewis was selected as a winner for the 2023 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank competition. He can play this special instrument until August 2026 before returning it to the Council. The violin creator, Januarius Gagliano, came from a family of violin makers established in Naples and his father worked with Antonio Stradivari.
鈥淭he opportunity to play on such a beautiful instrument is uncommon, and I am deeply grateful every day that I get to call this violin mine,鈥� said Lewis.
鈥淐ompared to other instruments I have previously played, the Gagliano projects with little effort on my end, and rarely sounds strained or pressed. It feels like the violin wants to produce a rich sound, and it gladly goes along with me as I play it,鈥� he said.
Lewis has played the iconic Violin Concerto in D Major several times and his interpretation of the music changes each time he comes back to the piece.
鈥淥ne consistent aim I have when playing this concerto is my aim to sound like the marriage of opera and ballet,鈥� said Lewis.
鈥淭chaikovsky wrote numerous works for both genres, and the influence of vocal lyricism and ballet gestures are both prevalent throughout his concerto. I hope to navigate all the concerto鈥檚 brilliant passagework with a graceful, melodic demeanor,鈥� he said.
鈥淭chaikovsky wrote the concerto while in Switzerland where he was recovering from a bout of deep depression, and this too has shaped my understanding of the work.鈥�
鈥淭o me, this concerto seems to be his exploration of light and beauty. No matter his inner struggles, music was a place where the composer could turn in search of hope and joy, and both emotions abound in this timeless classic,鈥� he said.
Tickets for the SSO鈥檚 From Dark to Light! can be purchased at for the Courtenay concert at the Filberg Centre (May 24th), or for the Campbell River performance at the Tidemark Theatre (May 25th). Prices are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Tickets might be available at the door, but the SSO has been selling out.
Visit for more information or the SSO鈥檚 Facebook page, .
