Long Beach
It’s been a long time coming, but the famed Violins of Hope will be on the Long Beach stage this weekend, Jan. 8 and 9.
The Long Beach Symphony originally planned to be part of Violins of Hope Los Angeles County in March 2020 — the month the coronavirus first surfaced. The tour returned to the Southland in December 2021, and it will be Long Beach’s turn to host the collection this Saturday and Sunday.
Violins of Hope is a collection of instruments played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Some were played in the concentration camps, where millions of Jews were killed. Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshalom collected and restored the violins, violas and cellos with the idea of using them to educate the world, according to press releases.
Avshalom Weinstein is accompanying the collection and participating in programs along with Israeli musicians and Dr. James A. Grymes, author of the book “Violins of Hope.” The entire Long Beach Symphony joins the violins at 8 p.m. Saturday with a full concert, including the Camerata Singers and four soloists.
Headlining the concert is Niv Ashkenazi, a virtuoso violinist. He has been touring with the Violins of Hope. Long Beach’s own Cecilia Tsan will be featured on cello. Soloists from Camerata include Teresa Buchholz, Liv Redpath, Jason Francisco and Mark Walters.
Tickets still are available for $40-$110 through the Symphony box office at 562-436-3203.
Sunday afternoon, the focus shifts to the Beverly O’Neill Theater in the Performing Arts Center. There, a chamber orchestra and the Violins of Hope will be part of Songs and Stories of Hope.
The multi-media performance begins at 3 p.m. The back stories of the instruments will be surrounded by music from Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, along with rarely heard pieces by Jewish composers who both survived and perished at the hand of the Nazis.
Ashkenazi returns to play with the symphony’s chamber ensemble, and Buchholz will lend her voice. Avshalom (Avshi) Weinstein, founder of the Violins of Hope project, and Dr. James A. Grymes, author of the book “Violins of Hope,” will provide the stories to go with the songs.
Tickets still are available for this concert as well. Go to longbeachsymphony.org or call the box office at the number above.
Current COVID-19 safety protocols will be required for both concerts — proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test will be required for entry, and masks must be worn the entire time patrons are inside.