THUNDER BAY — A musician who grew up in Thunder Bay has been awarded the use of a famous violin that was made over 250 years ago, and after just 10 days he's already "in love with it."
At a recent competition in Toronto held by the Canada Council for the Arts, Gregory Lewis won the right to play a 1768 Gagliano violin in concerts for the next three years.
Plans are in the works for him to bring it to perform here in his hometown, where the 26-year-old soloist and chamber musician made his debut with Consortium Aurora Borealis at the age of 15.
"It's a gorgeous instrument. It stood out to me immediately when I was going through the selection process and picking out which instrument I wanted to choose for myself," Lewis told TBnewswatch in an interview Wednesday.
The violin comes from the Canada Council for the Arts' musical instrument bank.
It was crafted by Januarius Gagliano in Milan, Italy, 265 years ago, and was donated to the council by a donor who prefers to be identified only as Mrs. Miller.
Lewis selected it after successfully auditioning for the right to borrow one of 23 violins and cellos made between the late 17th century and early 20th century by various well-known craftsmen.
A peer assessment committee that reviewed the qualifications of 32 musicians from across the country, and listened to them perform during a week-long audition, determined the winners and decided the order in which they would select an instrument to borrow.
Lewis said that when he picked up the Gagliano it "spoke" to him because it's a powerful instrument, yet it's easy to play.
"A lot of violins still have this remarkable depth and a remarkable range of colours but you have to work extremely hard to draw it out and you have to be careful with the instrument not to overwork it. They can have a bit of 'attitude' when you try to play them, but a Gagliano is extremely easy to play
"It wants to do what you want it to do."
Keeping the instrument safe for the next few years will be a big responsibility.
"Most people aren't walking around with something that's almost 300 years old under their care, so of course that weighs a little heavily," he said.
"But at the same time it's also a violin, and I've been holding violins almost my entire life. There's this funny sense that it's so second nature, but at the same time I just have to be so incredibly careful with it, not dropping it, not exposing it to heat, always keeping it right with me when I travel."
Lewis started playing the violin at the age of five, and for the next 11 years learned under Olga Medvedeva, a woman he described as an incredible teacher and "the core" of his musical upbringing.
When he was 16, he left Thunder Bay to pursue his musical education and a bachelor's degree in Winnipeg before relocating to the U.S. to get a master's degree at Yale University, where he's currently pursuing his PhD while simultaneously playing in the award-winning Callisto Quartet
Lewis has won numerous competitions and has performed with orchestras throughout North America.
But he said Thunder Bay remains a special place in his heart, and he expects to bring the Gagliano with him to the city in the near future.
"It will be coming to Thunder Bay very soon. I look forward to sharing more details about that performance once that information can be released publicly," he said.
In the meantime, anyone can listen to him play online.
