Violins of Hope

String instruments lovingly restored from the Holocaust, and Olga Kern honoring Rachmaninoff

String instruments lovingly restored from the Holocaust, and Olga Kern honoring Rachmaninoff

Plan Your Visit

There’s lots to do leading up to each concert to enhance your experience!

Amnon Weinstein, a violin maker in Israel, was asked by a customer to restore a dilapidated old violin. He discovered the owner had survived Auschwitz. Inside the violin was black ash. Years later, several more violins like it emerged, and Weinstein lovingly and painstakingly restored them. Ornately adorned with decorations and stars of David, instruments like these were a beloved part of any Jewish home of the time, each carrying the touch of their previous owner. These instruments enjoy renewed life on the stage as part of Violins of Hope, in a piece written just for them: Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 4 “Heichalos.”
Rachmaninoff, a tremendously skilled pianist, opened his Third Piano Concerto in an unusual way for him: with simplicity. However, the piano quickly establishes itself as the dominant voice with forceful and virtuosic complexity. While the melodies in the piano came almost effortlessly to him, the orchestra part gave Rachmaninoff considerable trouble. He decided the orchestra should so delicately accompany the piano as not to “muffle” its singing voice, but all the while the orchestra and piano enjoy a gentle and precise dialogue.

Michael Christie, Music Director

Glywn and Ruth Chase Music Director Chair

ENTR’ACTE

Bacewicz

Concerto for String Orchestra (Allegro)

Fun and informative 30-minute pre-concert lecture one hour before each performance.

Our intermission gives everyone a chance to enjoy the evening their way.

Intermission Insights (10 minutes) – Our Music Director Michael Christie spends 10 minutes on stage with the guest artist in a fun and fascinating interview and audience Q&A.
Break (10 minutes) – A great time to use the restroom, order a refreshment from the concessions in the lobby, and catch up with friends.
Entr’acte (10 minutes) – The orchestra performs a short contemporary piece – incredible music you may never hear anywhere else.

Feel free to take your seat, poke your head in, or mingle in the lobby until the second half!