ORIGIN STORY

ELISA BARSTON, VIOLIN

Praised for her “glowing sound” and “technical aplomb” (The Strad), violinist Elisa Barston is the Seattle Symphony’s Principal Second Violin. Prior to the appointment, she served as the Associate Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons and was a first violin section member of The Cleveland Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician, Barston has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, appearing with the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the St. Louis and Taipei symphony orchestras, among many others. In 1986, she made her European debut with the English Chamber Orchestra at the request of Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Barston studied at the University of Southern California and Indiana University.

ELLAINA LEWIS, SOPRANO

Soprano Ellaina Lewis demonstrates an extensive range of vocal and dramatic ability. Originally from Washington, D.C., she now makes her home in Seattle. She is a popular artist on Northwest stages. In addition to Seattle Opera, where Ms. Lewis performed the roles of Girlfriend II in Blue, and Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess, she has performed with Puget Sound Opera, Tacoma Opera, Seattle Choral Company, Everett Symphony, Sammamish Symphony, SD Prism Dance Company, ArtsWest, Northwest New Works Festival, Northwest Opera in Schools, Etc. Greg Thompson Productions, The Eastside Performance Group, The Ladies Musical Club, Classic Cascade Symphony, and The Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ms. Lewis has sung principal roles such as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, Monica in Menotti’s The Medium, Treemonisha in Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, Erzulie in Flaherty’s Once on this Island, Pamina in The Magic Flute, and Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel.

Concert engagements include classical repertoire ranging from Haydn’s Creation and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate to Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Ms. Lewis has had the pleasure on many occasions to blend her love of singing and her passion for dance. She has collaborated with S.D. Prism Dance Theater, contributing vocal improvisations as the dancers interpret the choreography of the company’s founder, Sonia Dawkins. She also participated in Silk Road, a multimedia production by A.C. Petersen inspired by the lives of immigrant women working in sweatshops. It featured contemporary dance, music, with Ellaina as vocal soloist, video, and field-recorded voices. Among her premiere performances are the title role in Sally Hemings, an opera and film production by Garrett Fisher; and the role of Simona in Night Flight, the operatic adaptation of the Saint-Exupéry novel with Book-It Repertory Theatre.

Since early 2020, when all scheduled rehearsals and public performances were suddenly canceled, Ellaina has maintained and even deepened the focus on music in her life. Because she started singing at an early age, in a family filled with musicians, she knows no better way to be together, to connect, and to share joy. This brought her to sing on her front porch for her neighbors throughout the spring and summer months, inviting them to gather, at a safe distance from her and each other outside. This helped soothe and connect hearts in a time of isolation. She has worked to adapt to the virtual world as a vocalist by performing for online concerts as a guest artist and collaborating online as well.

Philharmonia Northwest’s 2024-25 Season is made possible in part by generous grants from these Season Sponsors: