Sue Wade for Florida Weekly
The Grand Piano Series audience will soon experience the rarefied energy of two close friends: New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis and Evren Ozel, a fellow student at the New England Conservatory of Music who has played piano since the age of three and has performed with Geneva Lewis since they were in high school. Geneva Lewis and Evren Ozel will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Wang Opera Center, 2408 Linwood Avenue, Naples.
At 23, violinist Geneva Lewis has already had two passions that she might have pursued as a career: racket and bow.
Tennis was practically a given. Her father, Chris Lewis, is a former professional tennis player from New Zealand, runner-up to champion John McEnroe in the 1983 Wimbledon men’s singles final.
“I played tennis competitively until my early teenage years,” Geneva said. “But violin was what I couldn’t live without.”
What captivated her was both the sweetness of the instrument itself and the company she kept while playing it.
“There was something so powerful about the community I found in music, playing with other people and making friends that way. I learn so much from working with others.”
Geneva’s claim to chamber music fame came first from family, as a member of the renowned Lewis Family Trio with older siblings Nathan (piano) and Rochelle (cello).
“I also have a teacher whom I absolutely adore — Aimée Kreston of the Colburn School, concertmaster of the Pasadena Symphony. I studied with her from age seven all the way up to college. She was like a second mother to me and had me participating in chamber music at a very young age.”
In an Arium TV teaser for the film Music Is Life, in which she and cellist Gabriel Martins describe what inspires them, her first words are about collaborations.
“I’m just really inspired by people … to play with people, for people, and to people, and to form connections that are often a shared emotional experience. I can get energy from other people and be uplifted by them.”
“I love playing with Evren because he’s an incredibly thoughtful and nuanced musician, unbelievably sensitive,” Geneva said.
“We’re naturally attuned to each other, so there’s room for spontaneity, reacting to special things we want to try in the moment. That kind of energy in a live performance gives it a spark that makes it more engaging. And we feel that this program represents us well as a duo.”
“It’s an absolute privilege to play with Geneva,” Ozel said. “I love how diverse the program is, involving different styles and short-form as well as long-form pieces that Geneva and I really enjoy playing.”
According to classical music reviewer Ron Hubbard, Ozel has a gift for sliding smoothly from powerful to “bright, warm and comforting, then back, without a hint of whiplash.”
“We’re playing the Janá ek and the Debussy violin sonatas, both inspired by World War I, both emotional and expressive,” Geneva explained. “The Debussy was written in such a tragic time at the end of his life, yet there’s still a lot of humor and whimsy in it.”
“The Debussy is a piece that shows how much fun we have playing together,” Ozel said. “And it’s also nice to share the deep music making of the Brahms sonata with such a good friend.”
Ask Geneva about her violin, and she expresses bittersweet pleasure. Her instrument is the 300-year-old “Joachim-Ma” Stradivarius, donated for prestigious Artist Diploma Program students like her to use during their time at NEC. She must let it go when she graduates in May.
“It’s a very special, sweet-sounding instrument, with so much personality and history. To have had the chance to play the Brahms Violin Concerto on this iconic violin which might have premiered it is really meaningful. They’ll have to pry it out of my hands when I graduate.”
Luckily, a Naples audience will still hear it in the artist’s hands.
Grand Piano Series | Geneva Lewis & Evren Ozel
» When: Wednesday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.
» Where: Wang Opera Center, 2408 Linwood Avenue, Naples.
» Tickets: $45-50
» Info: www.grandpianoseries.org or 469-333-3231
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