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| Being a regular member of an orchestra does not always contribute positively to a solo career. |
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| In fact, violinist Ioan (pronounced e-wan, emphasis on the second syllable) Harea, a Romanian- born resident, says it would be too much to be a full- time orchestra member while continuing his solo and teaching careers. |
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| " I wouldn't be able to do what I do if I was part of an orchestra," he said upon returning from one of his frequent trips to State University of New York at Potsdam, where he has been a half- time professor in violin performance for four years. To maintain the extraordinary level of skill required for a solo career, Harea must practice at least four hours a day. |
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| But one of the pitfalls of not being a regular member of an orchestra is the need to constantly reacquaint oneself with the public. |
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| To this end, the soloist has booked the National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage and will be presenting a series of concerts, each a distinctly different type of musical experience. |
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| "We live in Ottawa, but somehow I play outside of it," he explained. He felt, along with his wife and manager, Jo Ann Simpson, that he wanted more exposure locally. |
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| "It would be a good idea to remind people I'm here" he said, laughing. Simpson knows the best way to promote her husband's talents. |
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| "I see him everyday, "she said, "the wonderful things he does and how hard he works. To be able to maintain a career at his age (Harea is in his fifties, not by young soloists' standards) is a tribute to his material and performance". |
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| The first concert, Iona Harea Classical, will be Fri., September 13 at 8p.m. and will feature Harea along with fellow SUNY professor Eugenia Tsarov accompanying him on piano. |
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| "I believe it's very interesting," he said about the program that will feature classical well-known pieces. "It's a variety of things and very much a crowd pleaser." |
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| The second concert, scheduled for Fri., January 24 at 8 p.m., will be a presentation of his Classic Gypsy repertoire, a fan-favourite. |
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| "That's something everybody loves," he said of the program he has performed across Canada. "People receive it very well." He will be accompanied by pianist James Wright, playing virtuoso violin favourites, tangos, and traditional folk and "gypsy", music from Eastern Europe and Russia that can be defined as folklore oriented vignettes. |
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| The final concert of Harea's series will be Sat., April 19 at 8 p.m. and will be the official launch of his newest CD on the Dark Skippy label called Ioan Harea Plus…, that features Harea's versatility. |
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| "I want to show my ability to play any type of music, not just classical", he pointed out. The program will feature music from the baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, but will also cover such genres as folk music and modern jazz. Featured musicians will include harpist Caroline Leonardelli, guitarist Roddy Elias, pianist Ian Clyne, violist Pemi Paull, jazz violinist Sol Gunner, oboist Angela Casagrande and his wife bassoonist Jo Ann Simpson, to name a few. |
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| The CD is a result of his recording contract with Dark Skippy Records. The Ottawa- based label, owned by John Dooher, previously recorded solely pop artists, but through a mutual acquaintance, Harea and Dooher were introduced and a partnership was formed. |
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| "They approached me and asked me to be a part of their company of artists," said Harea. He agreed because the recording studio, Sound of One Hand, is excellent, "the best in Ottawa", according to Harea, and maintains a high level of engineering. |
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| "I was very impressed with their work," explained Harea. "It's good for my career to produce an average of two recordings a year." He said the recording process keeps him in shape for concerts and as a result, compliments his performances. Harea is also recording a violin solo album that presents music for violin alone by composers such as J.S. Bach, Paganini and Eugene Ysaye. |
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| One of the reasons he chose work by this composer is that Harea is coached twice a month by one of Ysaye's students, 92- year- old Armand Weisbord. |
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| "You need someone to tell you if you're going in the right direction, no matter how famous you are," said Harea. "Once you know that, you get better." |
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| He doesn't like to dwell too much on future plans, instead on focusing on his family and today's events. |
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| " My future is the present because I'm an old guy," he joked. "Do what you can, now." |
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| By Matt Wood - The Article - September/05/2002 |
