Violins of Hope

The Holocaust & Humanity Center (HHC) announces it will bring the Cincinnati community a unique concert experience, Violins of Hope. The community performance will feature nine Holocaust era violins, played by Cincinnati’s finest musicians at Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine. “These violins witnessed the worst of humanity in ghettos and concentration camps, but serve as symbols of hope and resistance; this is a once-in-a-lifetime concert event that will prove that hope can be found in the darkest times,” said Sarah Weiss, Executive Director of HHC. “The powerful and inspiring stories of each violin will be carefully woven into the concert.” For the past two decades, Israeli violinmaker, Amnon Weinstein has been dedicated to restoring violins played by musicians during the Holocaust. With the help of his son, Avshi, these once-silent violins are able to be played again and became known as the Violins of Hope. Nine of these special violins will travel thousands of miles and be hand-delivered by Avshi Weinstein, with scheduled arrival to Cincinnati on January 17th. “Introducing these violins, their music and their stories to the world is our mission,” says Avshi Weinstein. “My father and I are grateful to Cincinnati, the Holocaust & Humanity Center and all of its partners for making this visit and performance possible.” Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director, will serve as the Artistic Advisor of Violins of Hope. The concert will include performances by: • Members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), conducted by Louis Langrée • Members of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Eckart Preu. Solo performances will feature: • CSO cellist Ilya Finkelstein and keyboardist Michael Chertock • Violinist Giora Schmidt and pianist Elena Kholodova • Violinists Gershon Gerchikov and Alexandra Kazovsky, members of the acclaimed Ariel Quartet, in residence at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM) • Baritone Simon Barrad, and pianist Kseniia Polstiankina. The Ariel Quartet, CCM’s string quartet-in-residence, has a special connection with this performance in its shared history with Holocaust survivor and famed violinist Henry Meyer. Its origins can be traced to the CCM-based LaSalle Quartet that Meyer co-founded. Meyer, a survivor of four camps, lost his entire family in the Holocaust. His story will be featured in the Violins of Hope concert.