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Orchestra Life

I joined the Boston Symphony at the age of twenty-three, and was a member of the violin section for thirteen years under Maestro Seiji Ozawa. I continue to perform with them at Tanglewood, their summer festival, and on tours. From 1988 until 2011, I was the Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony under Maestros Joseph Silverstein, Keith Lockhart, and Thierry Fischer.

Solo

Over the years I've had guest appearances with orchestras including the Utah Symphony, Boston Pops, Sydney Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Colorado Springs Symphony, Sunriver Music Festival (OR), San Juan Symphony (CO), Southwest Symphony (UT), and university and conservatory orchestras around the world. Conductors I've worked with have included Joseph Silverstein, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Arthur Fiedler, Robert Spano, Christoph Perrick, Lawrence Leighton Smith, James Paul, Christopher Wilkins, Victor Yampolsky, John Hopkins, Robert Debbaut, and Dante Valdez.

“Particularly impressive from Elias' standpoint were the mounting passion and incisiveness of the unaccompanied introduction, [Ravel 'Tzigane', Utah Symphony] In short, a virtuoso performance, and not just from Ravel.” -Deseret News

“[Elias] turned in a pleasingly uninsistent account, [Mozart Concerto #3, Utah Symphony] ennobled by natural phrasing and, in the warmly aromatic slow movement, easeful ornaments and an unerring sense of line . . . he pretty much let the music speak for itself. Which, I suppose, is not an inconsiderable interpretive gift on its own.” -Deseret News

As far as recitals are concerned, I've given them on five continents (excluding Africa and Antarctica, though I hope someday to perform in the former). I'm especially proud of three benefit recitals I performed (2001-2003) for the humanitarian organization, Seeds of Peace, in Salt Lake City.

“Elias ... showed himself to be an outstanding recitalist. He is an exceptionally talented and sublime musician. His musicality is impressive, and his technical skill is unsurpassed.” -Deseret News

“Arguably the most rewarding of these surprises was Elias' stunning performance of Eugene Ysaye's Unaccompanied Sonata No. 2. [Elias] wowed the audience with his musicianship and conviction in this virtuoso tour-de-force.” -Salt Lake Tribune

Chamber Ensembles

I was the first violinist of the Abramyan String Quartet, which in its ten year existence (1993-2003) not only achieved extraordinarily high artistic standards, but toured Japan six times and had an enviable program of education and outreach that extended to schools, senior citizen centers, hospitals, and corrections facilities. The Abramyan Sting Quartet can be heard on CRI, Centaur, Tantarus, Off The Record, and Albany labels. I include just a few reviews we received over the years:

“The Abramyan is without question one of the finest string quartets around. As with the Janacek, the [Berg] 'Lyric Suite' is an intense, gripping and totally enthralling work. And the Abramyan was unbelievable in their performance of this hypnotic work.” -Deseret News

“I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the Abramyan has a fresher and more creative approach to the quartet repertoire than many full-time groups. Its performances have consistently been vibrant and dynamic, never routine or mechanical.” -Deseret News

“I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the Abramyan has a fresher and more creative approach to the quartet repertoire than many full-time groups. Its performances have consistently been vibrant and dynamic, never routine or mechanical.” -Deseret News

Sunday evening, Schub made his local chamber-music debut performing with the Abramyan Quartet. And together, these five musicians gave an exceptionally dynamic and electrifying performance of Schumann's great Piano Quintet in E flat major, op. 44. Their interpretation was passionate, refreshingly bold, and yet full of subtle nuances that gave the music depth and a dramatic and distinctively unique personality. It would be difficult indeed to find an interpretation of the Schumann quintet that could surpass this emotionally charged and vivid performance.” -Deseret News

The four musicians played the Beethoven (opus 130) work magnificently. Their interpretation was imbued with power and passion, and in their hands, it became a very personal statement. They brought out all of the work's intensity and emotions in a performance that was quite simply electrifying and stupendous.” -Deseret News

During my Boston years I was the violinist in the Andover Trio with cellist William Thomas and pianist Barbara Kautzman, which for many years was the resident piano trio of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Violinist Ronan Lefkowitz and I paired up for several years to form the vaunted Elias/Lefkowitz Duo which performed regularly at Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art. Among our greatest feats was a three-concert series including all 44 Bartok duos. I've also had the pleasure of performing as a free-lance chamber musician in series such as Nova, New Music Ensemble, and Canyonlands in Salt Lake City, Collage in Boston, and the Moab Music Festival. For three years (1989-91) between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my wife, Cecily, and I organized, hosted, and performed in a dozen chamber music concerts in our home, the proceeds of which went to the Salt Lake City Homeless Shelter.

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