About Us
Prairie Sky String Quartet
Prairie Sky String Quartet is one of
the most sought-after Winnipeg, Canada, MB based
ensembles for weddings, corporate
events, and parties. The group
performs both classical music,
as well as original arrangements
of popular contemporary songs,
bringing a level of artistry and
professionalism your guests
are sure to notice!
6
Elation Pauls
Violin
Violinist Elation Pauls makes a significant contribution to the rich fabric that makes up Canada’s classical music scene from the heart of Canada, Winnipeg Manitoba. In constant demand for her lush sound and expressive solo and chamber music performances with such presenters as the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, Brandon University Pro Series, Agassiz Festival, Virtuosi Concerts, Women’s Musical Club and Rosamunde Festival, she has served as Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since 2009. She has premiered many works and has collaborated as chamber musician with artists such as Mark Fewer, Andrew Wan, Martin Beaver, Axel Strauss, Yosuke Kawasaki, Paul Marleyn, David Harding, Ariel Barnes, Martin Roscoe and Matt Haimovitz. In the fall of 2019 Elation collaborated with Polycoro Chamber Choir, performing Bach’s Chaconne where “She played with heart and soul, her violin carrying us into another realm with the singers’ chorales…deeply moving.” (Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press) Elation has performed in many of the major concert halls of North America and Europe, including Carnegie Hall (NY), Jordan Hall (Boston), Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Leiszhalle (Hamburg) and at the Philharmonie (Berlin). As well as playing in the Kammerphilharmonie Berlin-Brandenburg, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Hamburger Symphoniker directed by Andrey Boreyko and Jeffrey Tate, she has performed as a soloist with the Neinstedt Chamber Players (Germany), Spiritosi Strings, Banff Festival Chamber Orchestra, Rosamunde Festival Orchestra and the Mooredale Concerto Players in Toronto. Summer festivals have included the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, NYO, Kent/Blossom, Domaine Forget and Banff. As Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy and Festival, Elation enjoys bringing international caliber mentoring and artistry to Winnipeg every August. She has served as adjudicator for numerous festivals, as sessional instructor at Canadian Mennonite University and maintains an active private teaching studio. In January of 2018 she was awarded Professional Development Grants from the Winnipeg Arts Council and Manitoba Arts Council for a week-long residency in Israel. She is a prizewinner of the Canadian Music Competition, Saskatchewan Concerto Competition and Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival and has received scholarships from the Yehudi Menuhin LIVE Music Now foundation, Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) and University of Toronto. Following studies with Lorand Fenyves, Mark Fewer and Erika Raum at the University of Toronto where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, she joined the class of Petru Munteanu at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock, Germany where she obtained the highly sought-after Solo Performance (Konzertexamen) degree. 2023 marked a new chapter in Elation’s career, with her SUSTENANCE project beginning to unfold. With support from the Canada Council for the Arts, SOCAN Foundation, Winnipeg Arts Council and Manitoba Arts Council, she has recorded her debut solo album alongside pianists Serouj Kradjian and David Braid which includes newly commissioned works by prominent Canadian composers Cris Derksen, Serouj Kradjian, Karen Sunabacka, Iman Habibi, David Braid and Kelly-Marie Murphy. The album is set for release in fall of 2024 with the Winnipeg launch presented by the 24/25 Groundswell series. Visit violinelation.com for more information.
Chris Anstey
Violin
One of Canada’s most versatile violinists, Chris Anstey is a native of St. John’s, Newfoundland. He joined the first violin section of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) in 2005, and after a short stint as Assistant Concertmaster, moved to Principal Second Violin in 2022. Chris is often a featured soloist with the WSO, and has also appeared as soloist with several other ensembles including the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Brandon Chamber Players, and Etobicoke Philharmonic. He also performs and records regularly with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Having a keen interest in traditional music, Chris is a four-time finalist at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championships, and winner of the Don Messer Award at the Maritime Old- Time Fiddling Contest. He also toured North America and recorded several albums with Newfoundland folk artists The Ennis Sisters. More recently, he is a founding member of The neWSOunds, a Celtic/Folk/Bluegrass band of symphony musicians who premiered their own pops show with the WSO in 2021. In other performance capacities, Chris has performed numerous musicals at Winnipeg’s Rainbow Stage and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, including the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Boys in the Photograph’ in which he played violin, fiddle, and 5-string electric violin. He works extensively with Candlelight Winnipeg, the newly formed Prairie Sky String Quartet, and the Luminous String Quartet (LSQ). Chris can also be heard on albums with several Winnipeg recording artists including Royal Canoe, Begonia, Cara Luft, Slow Leaves, Glenn Buhr, and the LSQ. Aside from his performing duties, Mr. Anstey is in constant demand as a pedagogue. He has given multiple masterclasses at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Music and Preparatory Studies Division. He also works regularly as a sectional coach with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra and with all levels of the Winnipeg Youth Orchestras. Chris is also a long- time faculty member at the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy.
Elise Lavallée
Viola
Elise Lavallée began violin studies at age 9, after multiple unsuccessful attempts to build herself a little violin and many kept promises made to her parents. She fell in love with the rich sound of the viola at age 15 and completed her bachelor studies at Le Conservatoire de Musique de Québec. On a full scholarship from The Manhattan School of Music, she completed a Master of Music, then came back to Canada to earn an Artist Diploma from McGill University. Currently Acting Principal Viola with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, she regularly appears with the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, Candlelight Concerts, Virtuosi Series, Groundswell Festival, Music at The Millennium, Camerata Nova, Canzona, WSO Home Recitals, Rosamunde Festival, Music N’Mavens, and Skywalk Concerts. An enthusiastic communicator and dedicated teacher, Elise has been maintaining a private teaching studio and is a Viola Instructor and Chamber Music Coach at the Desautels Faculty of Music of the University of Manitoba. Elise has also been a radio columnist at Radio-Canada Manitoba, hosted the WSO’s podcast series, The Silence Between, gave music appreciations lectures at L’Université St-Boniface and hosted the WSO’s Pre-concert Talks for many years. She has served as a member of the WSO and the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy Boards of Directors, as well as founded Les Grands Concerts de la Cathédrale de St-Boniface, Les Café-Concerts d’ Elise and the summer concert series Live at The Drive.
Grace An
Cello
Cellist Grace An has shared her love of music with audiences across the world as an acclaimed orchestral player, chamber musician, soloist and teacher. Currently performing with the Winnipeg Symphony, Ms. An previously held positions in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Sarasota Opera Orchestra and has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, Florida Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, and Des Moines Metro Opera among others. She spent four seasons as a cello fellow in the New World Symphony under the baton and mentorship of Michael Tilson Thomas.Performances have taken Ms. An to the renowned stages of the world such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. A passionate advocate for spreading the joy of classical music beyond the concert hall, Ms. An also performs in hospitals, assisted living centers, public parks and libraries, women’s shelters, farms, and dive bars. Festival appearances include the Grand Teton Music Festival, Bravo! Vail, Verbier Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Castleton Festival, Banff Centre, Pacific Music Festival, and the Thy Chamber Music Festival. She has also performed at Lakes Area Music Festival, Artosphere Festival, Fairchild’s GardenMusic, Laguna Beach Music Festival, and Brooklyn BargeMusic. Ms. An has been featured as a soloist with the New World Symphony, Stanford Symphony Orchestra, and South Coast Symphony, in performances described as “sizzling with raw excitement and tonal beauty” (South Florida Classical Review). She performed in a widely seen recorded masterclass with Yo-Yo Ma and has collaborated with distinguished artists Emanuel Ax, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and eighth blackbird. She has given masterclasses and mentored young musicians at the Academia Filarmónica de Medellín in Colombia, served as a coach for the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, and adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra USA. Ms. An has been heard on NPR’s What Makes It Great and Performance Today. A native of Orange County, California, Ms. An began her musical training at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and completed degrees at Stanford University, Eastman School of Music, and Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers include Alan Stepansky, Alan Harris, Stephen Harrison, and Richard Naill. Ms. An performs on a rare French cello by Nicolas Darche, dated 1841. She lives in Winnipeg with her husband, violinist Jeff Dyrda and their son Franklin. In addition to her musical life, she is a voracious reader and food enthusiast!