Wheeling Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Elisa Kohanski gave two impromptu performances in Antarctica during a trip to the continent with her parents. (Photo provided)
WHEELING — From playing alongside penguins in Antarctica to performing for dignitaries in Africa, Elisa Kohanski, principal cellist of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, has performed on six continents.
The musician’s journey, which will see her perform on all seven continents, culminates on Thursday with her trip to Australia and New Zealand, where she will make her final performance and complete her mission to play around the world.
North America was the first continent the Rhode Island native and lifelong string player could check off his list. Kohanski’s journey to performing worldwide began in seventh grade with a trip to London, England, for a New Year’s Eve performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
During her studies, the cellist traveled to Europe again to play opera and symphony concerts in the castle courtyard in Heidelberg.
“I spent the whole summer in Germany, performing and traveling, kind of full of wanderlust,” Kohanski recalls. “I guess that planted the seed and gave me the travel bug.”
After graduating, Kohanski checked Asia off her bucket list by touring China with the Mantovani Orchestra.
Kohanski’s next stop was South America, where she was scheduled to perform as part of the musical group Trio Nova Mundi at a music festival in Fujiar, Chile. Before she could take the stage in Chile, her parents invited her on a trip to Antarctica that Kohanski “couldn’t turn down.”
The trip to Antarctica was “right before” the music festival in Chile, so Kohanski brought the carbon fiber cello she planned to use for the festival performance. During the boat ride to the icy continent, Kohanski said the crew “really wanted” her to be able to play on the continent.
Before the ship reached Antarctica, Kohanski had the opportunity to place his end pin on an iceberg in the Arctic.
“Going to Antarctica is a highlight because playing on an iceberg speaks for itself,” Kohanski said. “I think without playing there, I probably would never have achieved this goal of playing on every continent because I would have thought, ‘I’ll never get to play in Antarctica.'”
After the ship reached the continent, Kohanski gave two more performances.
“I played on a small island where the crew carried my cello over like a Sherpa and said, ‘Here’s a good place to play, right by the water,'” Kohanski said. “I was sitting on a rock where all the penguins were nesting, but the wind was so loud that you literally couldn’t hear me playing if I was physically there. It was a great experience and everyone on the ship was there, but for me it was quite stressful because the wind was so overwhelming.”
Due to the weather conditions, Kohanski stated that the performance was not an “ideal situation” and so, at the last landing on the continent during the trip, she asked to be allowed to play again for her parents and the crew.
“Just as we were about to leave, the crew found a rock on a beach where penguins were walking by,” Kohanski said. “It was snowing lightly, but it was so beautiful. I was just looking at the water, the penguins and the different parts of the land as we played, and it was a very moving moment for me.”
Africa is the only continent where Kohanski believes her playing experience could surpass her concert for the Penguins. Her three-week continental tour with the trio Nova Mundi included performances in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The most memorable story from her trip on the continent occurred during Kohanski’s visit to Zimbabwe, where she met a six-year-old girl named Emma who wanted to take cello lessons.
“This kid played for me and she oozed music from every pore of her body,” Kohanski recalled. “She was the most beautiful example of someone who was born to make music. Her technique was terrible, but she just wanted it so much.”
During the hour and a half that Kohanski spent with the child and her mother, she gave the child “as many technology tips” as possible and discussed with her various ways in which the young girl could establish contact with a teacher.
Kohanski eventually recommended the child to Amy Fettig Macy, a cellist from Pittsburgh who was teaching in Zimbabwe at the time.
“That was probably the reason for this trip: I needed to get Amy together with Emma,” Kohanski said. “Emma started taking classes with Amy. The drive between the two cities was probably six hours, but they figured something out.”
The hour and a half that Kohanski spent with Emma that day ultimately led to Emma’s acceptance into the Juilliard School two weeks ago.
“It’s such a heartwarming story that makes me feel like I’ve done something good in this world,” Kohanski said. “I’ve made a difference for someone and there’s nothing better than that.”
The group then travelled to Mozambique, where they performed for ambassadors and dignitaries and enjoyed brunch with the poet laureate. The next day, the group arrived before a very different audience, as they performed in a “very small outdoor venue” where the “chicken area was the Green Room”.
“They had a piano outside and we played on the sandpit while all the kids from the township were there,” Kohanski said. “They just gathered around us and it was fascinating because the reception we got from all sides was just great.”
The culmination of Kohanski’s trip will be 22 Wheeling residents, including WSO musicians, traveling with Kohanski to Australia and New Zealand. There, Kohanski will perform a concert entitled “Travels with My Cello” and a concert in Sydney with the other musicians on the trip.
“We will all play a program in Sydney and have this incredible experience together,” said Kohanski.
To honor her achievement, the WSO has commissioned a piece inspired by her travels from composer Jonathan Kolm. The seven-movement concerto will include one movement for each continent and will be premiered in the orchestra’s final concert of the season next May.
“What I’m most looking forward to is hearing how he conceives music for each continent,” said Kolm. “I asked him to do a little homage to Bach in the Antarctic movement, since I played Bach there.”
Kohanski will also honor her travels during a smaller chamber concert called “Milestones,” taking place tonight at 7 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church in Wheeling. During the event, Kohanski will share stories from her travels and provide a sneak peek of some of the composers who will be featured in the WSO’s upcoming season.
The concert also serves as a fundraiser for the Seven Continents Project. Admission is $25 and there will be a small reception following the concert.
“The concert will be a sort of farewell to the start of the season and the trip,” Kohanski added. “It will be a great time and a nice little break for me before we start our trip on Thursday.”
Throughout all her travels, Kohanski found that one message rang true for her: “Music is a universal language.”
“Every time I get to play in public and it touches someone, I feel like I’ve made a difference,” Kohanski said. “It’s important to me that someone hears a piece I play that brings them joy or reminds them of something meaningful. The fact that I’ve had the opportunity to do this on every continent for all kinds of people makes me happy and makes me feel like my life has impacted others in a positive way.”
