A poignant reminder of the Jewish musicians who played before, during and after the Holocaust has arrived in Orange County, along with 60 of the stringed instruments they played.
The “Violins of Hope” project began when Israeli father and son violinmakers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein began seeking out and restoring the instruments as a labor of love. Later, they began touring the world, including displays and concerts to remember those who lost everything. Each violin has been named and its story told, at least as much as could be discovered.
One violin, for example, known as the “Dachau Violin,” was played in the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps by Abram Merczyniski, who was sent there from the Jewish ghetto in Lodz, Poland. He played his violin everywhere, even in a labor camp. He and his brothers survived the war, along with his violin, which he gave to a teenage boy in Munich whose family was housing them. The boy, Julius Sesar, later gave the violin to his violin maker friend, who donated it to the Violins of Hope.
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is sponsoring the visit from May 31 through June 10, which includes free talks and concerts, along with displays of some of the instruments.
Learn more and get tickets to the events at philharmonicsociety.org/violinsofhope
An inlaid star on the back of one of the Violins of Hope. (Courtesy Long Beach Symphony)The tour will include a free family concert on Sunday, June 1 at Soka University, Aliso Viejo. Learn more: philharmonicsociety.org/concerts-tickets/calendar-of-events/songs-stories-of-hope
A selection of Violins of Hope instruments will be on display at the following locations:
Through May 31: The Hilbert Museum of California Art, 167 N. Atchison Street, Orange. hilbertmuseum.org June 1-9: Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County 1 Federation Way, Irvine. jccoc.org June 6-8: Orange County Museum of Art 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. ocma.artRelated Articles
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