Classically-trained violinist Raha Javanfar like most area musicians has been hit hard by a loss of musical gigs due to a spread of COVID-19.

Javanfar, a bassist and front woman for the Maple Blues Award nominee blues band, Bad Luck Woman and Her Misfortunes, is now teaching students online how to play the violin, piano and music theory.

The busy pre-pandemic four-piece band was silenced as the virus spread across the world and public health officials ordered people to stay away from crowds.

“The pandemic so far has been a roller coaster for me. I spent the first several weeks feeling quite depressed and uninspired,” she recalls. “I felt a deep resistance to this thing which was quickly being dubbed ‘the new normal.”

She, with partner Fraser Melvin, are busy these days writing tunes and performing virtually.

The Iranian-born entertainer held virtual classes last month with students at a Lakeshore Arts event, which was a big success.

“Campers will build their own homemade percussion instrument, learn various rhythms, and experiment with different sounds to create their own grooves and melodies,” says a poster promoting the event.

Javanfar is thankful she is working in her field and attributes her career to a ‘rich fabric of numerous projects in various fields.’

She regularly plays fiddle in the Western swing band, The Double Cuts, and has performed with notable artists as Stars, Protest the Hero, Peter Katz, Tom Wilson and Daniel Romano.

The violinist is also known around town for other musical projects including; Voodoo Raha & Speedy Wax and Zuze, as well as frequent performance in the Concert Series at Soulpepper Theatre Company’s Riverboat, 27 Club, 88 Keys and Promised Land.

She is one of six co-creators of Now You See Her, a play by Quote Unquote Collective, produced by Nightwood Theatre, in which she performed the role of Daria. It was nominated for Best New Play at the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

She has toured with Toronto Baroque orchestra, Tafelmusik, for over a decade as projections designer of concerts such as House of Dreams, Circle of Creation, and Tale of Two Cities, which has performed at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and venues in Mexico, Australia, Japan and Malaysia.

She and Mellville are proud of their own brand of hot sauce, that is made to her recipe. Bottles of their home-made Bad Luck Woman sauce and her music are available for sale at www.rahajavanfar.com