The Beaverbrook Community Concert Series is proud to present: “The Music Through Story,” a jazz piano solo concert. This concert will take place on 25 May, 2025 at 3:00pm, at Kanata United Church (33 Leacock Dr., Kanata ON). Here’s a little more about the program from the artist:
“Step into an intimate evening of storytelling through sound. The Music Through Story is a solo piano journey where jazz standards, soulful ballads, and spontaneous improvisations weave together to form a narrative without words. Featuring timeless pieces like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” this performance explores the emotional landscapes behind every note. With each improvisation, a new story is born—raw, reflective, and uniquely of the moment.”
Nawfel Djari, piano
No need for tickets: just show up! This concert is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a $15 donation recommended. To download a printable poster for this concert, please click here.
About the Artist
Nawfel Djari is a pianist, violist, composer, conductor, poet, writer, and abstract expressionist painter whose multidisciplinary work explores the intersection of sound, self-inquiry, and the human experience. With a background in classical and jazz performance, and an artistic voice
shaped by philosophical depth, Nawfel’s work seeks not only to move audiences—but to understand what moves us.
A classically trained violist, Nawfel has performed and toured internationally in Leipzig, Prague, Berlin, Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa, both as a soloist and with chamber ensembles studying with prominent teachers such as Rennie Regeher, Michael Van Der Sloot, Yehonatin Berrick and
Andre Roy. His compositions, and arrangements—ranging from the structured elegance of classical forms to the improvisational breath of jazz—have been performed across every continent. His albums, Apassion (jazz viola and piano with Anthony Kubelka) and Hommage pour le perdu (solo piano), are meditations on longing, loss, and transcendence.
Nawfel is also an abstract expressionist painter, drawing inspiration from Picasso and Gerhard Richter. His visual work mirrors the emotional textures found in his music—raw, layered, intuitive—offering another lens through which to explore the subconscious and the spiritual.
As a writer and poet, he is currently working on both fiction and philosophical reflections. His literary work often weaves together themes of art, identity, civilization, and faith, informed by a deep personal interest in philosophy, comparative religion, and the stories that shape human
culture.
He is currently approaching studies in clinical psychology, driven by a fascination with the human mind, the nature of emotion, and the inner life of the artist. One of his goals is to merge artistic practice with psychological insight, exploring creativity not only as expression, but as a
tool for healing and self-realization.
Nawfel has conducted numerous ensembles in Ottawa and was invited to conduct the Quebec Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Yoav Talmi. While he teaches violin, viola and piano,—his students have gone off to perform across Ottawa and Montreal, and the states, succeeding in competitions, and ensemble/university applications—his teaching exists as part of a broader vision: to help others uncover meaning, purpose, and beauty through creative exploration.
Nawfel enjoys spending his time collecting way too many books, teaching, reading, hiking with his wife Megan, and of course, cuddling with his dog Jet.
Program
- Improvisation I – Nawfel Djari
- Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
- Alice in Wonderland – Sammy Fain
- In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning – David Mann
- Improvisation II – Nawfel Djari
- (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons – Ivory Watson, William Best
- Mr. P.C. – John Coltrane
All of our concerts are held at Kanata United Church, 33 Leacock Drive Kanata ON. Our venue offers limited parking, with street parking
available in the surrounding neighborhood.
The venue is accessible, which includes automatic doors, a dedicated accessible washroom and no stairs required for entry.
Beaverbrook Community Concert Series 
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