VIOLINS OF HOPE Announced At The Soraya

The Violins of Hope collection will make the journey from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, in an unprecedented collaboration between The Soraya, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, and four Southern California symphony orchestras. The Soraya will present three concerts featuring the rescued and restored violins, with an Opening concert on March 22 featuring the LA Jewish Symphony, followed by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani leading and performing with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra on March 25, and concluding with the Jerusalem Quartet on April 5. New West Symphony, The LA Lawyers Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony will host the violins in concerts at other venues throughout Southern California, reaching audiences across the region. Complete Violins of Hope information can be found at The Soraya.org.

Violins of Hope is an internationally renowned project created to celebrate the triumph of the human spirit. At the heart of Violins of Hope is a collection of over 60 stringed instruments rescued from the Holocaust and restored by second-generation violinmaker, Amnon Weinstein, and his son Avshalom in their shop in Tel Aviv.

Now, this unique collection will come to Los Angeles for the first time March 22 to April 26, 2020 for a month-long series of concerts, exhibits, and student educational programming at several Los Angeles cultural institutions.

The Violins of Hope concert series at The Soraya will feature three concerts in two weeks, plus an additional four student matinees. Each concert in the Violins of Hope series will feature performers and soloists using instruments from the Weinstein's collection. The Soraya's Artist in Residence and Northridge native Niv Ashkenazi, the only individual musician in North American entrusted with one of the collection's rescued violins, is currently bringing his own storied instrument on a 40-school tour to Los Angeles students. He will perform four student matinees at The Soraya the week prior to the March 22 Opening Night.

"With three generations born since the end of the Holocaust, how do we keep alive the memories of those who perished? Each instrument of the Violins of Hope shares a common past from this chapter in human history, but more so, each violin embodies a personal story," said Thor Steingraber, Executive Director of The Soraya. "Some were once played on the streets in the hands of klezmer musicians, and some held pedigrees in world-class concert halls. To experience firsthand their resonance, musical and historical alike, creates an immediate connection to our collective past."

Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya serves the CSUN community, the 1.9 million residents of the San Fernando Valley, and the broader regional market in Los Angeles. Under the leadership of President Dr. Dianne F. Harrison, CSUN is one of the region's leading public institutions, prioritizing inclusion and known for its many different cultural and religious studies programs.

"The Violins of Hope represent the extraordinary power of music to heal, to fight injustice and to celebrate survival," said Harrison. "Music also brings people together, and we are proud to join with our partners to bring these instruments that were witness to history to Southern California so that we will never forget."

Steingraber concluded, "Come hear them and see the violins firsthand. Experience their resonance, musical and historical alike. Make a direct and immediate connection to those who once played them. Regard them as powerful symbols, as emblems of perseverance, as sources of reflection, and as reminders of compassion and empathy. The violins stand as a tangible connection to our past, and their stories reach across the generations and demand of us Never Again."

Opening Night: March 22, 2020 - Artistic Director Noreen Green conducts the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony featuring violinist Lindsay Deutsch and special guest, cellist Lynn Harrell

• Violins of Hope, Los Angeles County will open on March 22 with violinist Lindsay Deutsch and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. Deutsch is a charismatic and captivating presence. She will join conductor Dr. Noreen Green to present a multi-media concert. Deutsch will play on one of the finest of the rescued violins, performing the Hatikvah theme from its soundtrack, the famous violin solos from the Schindler's List Suite, and Ernest Bloch's Baal Shem Suite, which concludes with a joyous dance movement. The second half of the concert will resume with Deutsch playing one of the klezmer violins from the collection in a rousing performance of Suite for Klezmer Band and Orchestra by Sid Robinovitch.
• Program:
  Williams' Schindler's List Suite
  Bloch's Baal Shem Suite
  Robinovitch's Suite for Klezmer Band and Orchestra

March 25, 2020-Lahav Shani conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Maestro Shani on Piano

• Maestro Shani succeeded Zubin Mehta as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra before becoming the youngest chief conductor in the Rotterdam Philharmonic's history. The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra returns to The Soraya after its intense performance in 2016 led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, shortly before his appointment as Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera. Now, with its next "wunderkind" at the helm, Israeli maestro Lahav Shani, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will join the global celebration of Beethoven, featuring Maestro Shani performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58. Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will also join The Soraya's season-long Violins of Hope project. Concertmaster Igor Gruppman will play this concert on one of the Violins of Hope rescued from the Holocaust and restored by master violinmaker Amnon Weinstein in Tel Aviv. Lahav Shani assumed his position in September 2018, becoming the youngest Chief Conductor in the orchestra's history. In the 2020-21 season, Shani will succeed Zubin Mehta as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Program:
  Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
  Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra

April 5, 2020 - The Jerusalem Quartet

• The Jerusalem Quartet closes The Soraya leg of the series with works by Haydn, Shostakovich and Brahms.The ensemble debuted in 1996 and has since carried on the string quartet tradition with their award-winning performances and recordings. With their 1996 debut, young Israeli musicians Alexander Pavlovsky, Sergei Bresler, Ori Kam, and Kyril Zlotnikov embarked on a journey of growth and development that has resulted in a wide repertoire and a stunning depth of expression. In the twenty years since, The Jerusalem Quartet has found its center with a warm, full, human sound, giving refined interpretations of classical repertoire and exploring new genres as well as the works of contemporary composers.
• Program:
  Haydn's Quartet No. 2 in D Minor, "Fifths," Op. 76
  Shostakovich's Quartet No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 117
  Brahms' Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51

Tickets for all Violins of Hope concerts are available online at TheSoraya.org and by phone at 818-677-3000.