Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilana Waniuk.
Ilana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Ilana Waniuk. I am a violinist originally from Toronto with interests ranging from classical music, to improvisation and visual arts. I started playing violin when I was seven through lessons from a close family friend. Like most kids, I found practicing to be a chore but was drawn to any opportunity that allowed me to make music with others. The exchange of energy/emotion between performers and listeners through the medium of music is truly a singular and transformative experience and is one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a career in performance.
Although my background is in traditional classical music, over the course of my studies, I gravitated more and more exclusively towards what is considered contemporary or experimental music. After completing graduate school in 2011, I returned to Toronto where, in addition to building a teaching studio and freelance career, I co-founded the Thin Edge New Music Collective (TENMC) in partnership with my good friend, pianist Cheryl Duvall. TENMC is a Toronto-based ensemble dedicated to ingenuity, and collaboration through the programming and performance of contemporary music. In addition to producing an annual concert series, we have commissioned over 70 new works by emerging and established composers/artists from around the world. Despite TENMC’s relatively DIY roots, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to share many of these commissions and pursue collaborative projects across Canada, Italy, Poland, Japan, Argentina and most recently Germany.
In 2017, I realized that I wanted to have the opportunity to specialize further in my field and decided to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Contemporary Performance at the University of California San Diego studying with violinist/composer Erik Carlson. I moved to San Diego in the fall of 2018 to begin my studies. It’s been a really wonderful learning experience working alongside so many inspiring/talented peers and faculty from all over the world!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Studies in classical music performance don’t typically include rigorous training in business and arts administration and my own experience was no exception. Thankfully this precedent seems to be changing in many conservatory/university curriculums today. When we first decided to create Thin Edge, we had to finance, and produce everything ourselves with limited means/experience, while trying to make a living through our respective freelance/teaching careers. Much like starting a small business from scratch, building an arts organization from the ground up takes countless unpaid hours of work, late nights and lots of trial and error. We learned many important lessons the hard way and are still in the process of growing. Collaboration has been a cornerstone of our development over the past 9 years. Without the incredible talents, generosity and artistic risk taking of our Thin Edge family/friends, it wouldn’t have been possible to realize any of our ambitious musical dreams.
I am deeply thankful for the unwavering support I have received from my parents, both in terms of providing me with the opportunity/means to learn a musical instrument growing up, and for unconditionally standing behind my non-traditional career choices and projects. As I moved further and further away from performing classics of the repertoire, they have remained steadfastly open to my experimentation. I am so grateful for their willingness to venture alongside me into uncharted sonic waters!
We’d love to hear more about your music.
I have always loved music and visual arts. For me these two mediums are intrinsically linked. Growing up, our house was filled with beautiful artwork by my mother. Originally trained as a classical guitarist, she became a weaver and later an abstract painter who painstakingly builds vibrant canvases through multiple layers of textured acrylic paint. In recent years, I have come to the realization that one of the main reasons I gravitated towards and continue to be fascinated by contemporary music is because I associate abstract sounds/textures that I hear and produce with visuals drawn from the world around me.
Specializing in contemporary performance means that I am often working with living composers and artists from other disciplines to realize the creation of new or rarely performed works. I love dreaming up new concert ideas and collaborations, particularly because it is impossible to predict the outcome and unique challenges I will face along the way. For example, through Thin Edge, I’ve been part of the organizational team behind an ongoing large-scale project called Balancing on the Edge which merges contemporary music with circus arts. Presenting/developing works for this production means working in close partnership with composers, musicians, circus performers, and visual artists/designers. When I first started my career as a violinist, I could never have imagined that I would be involved in coordinating logistics and performing works that involved fire, aerial silks, projections or interactive video games!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least about our city?
Having only lived in San Diego since the fall of 2018, I can honestly say that I am still very much in the process of adjusting to my new home away from home. There is so much natural beauty to enjoy, but thus far grad school hasn’t left as much time for exploring as I would like. I’m really looking forward to discovering what San Diego has to offer over the course of the next few years!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thinedgenewmusiccollective.com www.ilanawaniuk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilanawaniuk/
Image Credit:
Shayne Gray Photography- colourful duo and Personal photo, artwork/projections in both images by Dan Tapper
Thanyarat Photography -image of string quartet with projections, and image of violin and percussionist/bells
Kelley Mitchell -solo violin photo with projections by Cai
Painting- Sphynx II by Silvana Waniuk
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