A Memorable Exhibit and Concert

Violins of Hope, a 60-violin collection, owned and restored by father-and-son violin-makers Amnon and Avshi Weinstein, travels to concert halls around the world. Every concert brings together people of all faiths and backgrounds to learn about the instruments that belonged to Jews before and during the war. Many were donated by or bought from survivors; some arrived through family members.The violins present the victory of the human spirit over evil and hatred.  As many as 6,000,000 Jews were murdered in WWII, but their memory is not forgotten. It comes back to life with every concert and every act of love and celebration of the human spirit. Violins of Hope is not only a memorial to lost culture and people, it is also an educational act that reaches young students and adults wherever the concerts are performed. In addition to the concert, Erica Nadelhaft taught the historical significance of this resistance at four middle schools in Maine, accompanied by PSO staff and musicians. Read more about Violins of Hope Maine in the Press Herald article.

On October 18th at 6:00 at the Michael Klahr Center special guest Avshi Weinstein, Amnon's son, joined the Portland Symphony Orchestra String Quartet for a stunning performance on the Violins of Hope instruments. This special and intimate evening featured Portland Symphony Orchestra musicians: Charles Dimmick, Concertmaster; Amy Sims, Assistant Concertmaster; Willine Thoe, Assistant Principal Viola; and Sein Lee, Principal Cello performing on the incredible instruments. PSO Music Director Eckart Preu and Avshi Weinstein, co-founder of Violins of Hope, spoke to the audience about the music and instruments.

The performance included:

Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings 
Sholom Secunda: Movement 1  from String Quartet in C minor 
John Zorn: Kol Nidre 
Szymon Laks: Movement 4 from String Quartet No. 3 
Felix Mendelssohn: Movement 1 from Mendelssohn Quartet No. 2, Op. 13  

We were honored to showcase this precious collection for two weeks at the HHRC. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all the people who helped to realize the unforgettable experiences—the beauty, history, music, memories, laughter and tears that have come from the Violins of Hope visit to the Michael Klahr Center.