CORPORATE SPONSORS
of
VIOLINS CLEARWATER
SPONSORED BY
To strengthen Jewish life and identity in our community, provide for Jewish people in need, and promote support for Israel
S A R A S O T A
P R O G R A M F E B R U A R Y
MISSION
HOPE
2 0 1 7
A
mnon Weinstein has spent the last two decades locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. He dedicates this important work to 400 relatives he never knew. These grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins stayed behind in Eastern Europe when Amnon’s parents, Moshe and Golda, immigrated in 1938 to Palestine, where Moshe opened a violin shop. After the war, Moshe learned that his entire family — 400 in all— had been murdered during the Holocaust. The pain of this discovery led to his first heart attack. Moshe never spoke of his family again. When young Amnon would ask Golda about their relatives, she would show him a book about the Holocaust. Pointing to the ghastly photos of the dead, she would say, “This is our family.” She would break down in tears, unable to explain further. After growing up to become one of the most respected violin makers in the world, Amnon became determined to reclaim his lost heritage. He started locating violins that were played by Jews in the camps and ghettos, painstakingly piecing them back together so they could be brought to life again on the concert stage. Although most of the musicians who originally played the instruments were silenced by the Holocaust, their voices and spirits live on through the violins that Amnon has lovingly restored. He calls these instruments the Violins of Hope.
Table
of
Contents
Opening Night Concert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Conversation with Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes . . . . 5
- Riverview Performing Arts Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - Temple Beth Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Celebration of Jewish Broadway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Music and the Eternal Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Classic Jewish Melodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Sixteen Violins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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The Auschwitz Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Haftel Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Krongold Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Jacob W. Hakkert Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Feivel Wininger Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Erich Weininger Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Friedman Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Bielski Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Wagner and Weichold Violins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Morpurgo Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Zimmerman Violin, circa 1920. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Zimmerman Violin, circa 1929. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Moshe Weinstein Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lyon Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Heil Hitler Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Holocaust Education Outreach Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 We Salute Our Sponsors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Opening Night Sponsor - The Mazur Family Fund I Am Federation Video
C ritics, colleagues and audiences regard Shlomo Mintz as one of the foremost violinists of our time, esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique alike. Born in Moscow in 1957, he immigrated to Israel and studied the violin with Ilona Feher. At the age of 11, he made his concert debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and at the age of 16 he made his debut in Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the patronage of Isaac Stern.
Henry Winkler Opening Remarks Jerusalem of Gold Arr. Robert Wendel Musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra Susi and Jack Steenbarger Welcome and Acknowledgments
Since then he is a celebrated guest with orchestras and conductors on the international music scene, and has appeared with historical musicians like Sergiu Celibidache, Pablo Casals, Eugene Ormandy, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Mistislav Rostropovich and Carlo Maria Giulini. In the 2012/2013 Season, he celebrated his 50th anniversary with the National Orchestra of France in a special concert at the Champs Elysées Theatre as a conductor and a soloist. He has won several prestigious prizes including the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Diapason D’Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Gramophone Award and the Edison Award.
Sponsor Remarks Andrew Lane, conductor Shlomo Mintz, violin Ludwig van Beethoven Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Ludwig van Beethoven Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50 Daniel Jordan, violin
Antonio Vivaldi Allegro from Concerto in B Minor, Op. 3 No. 10, RV 580
John Williams Arr. Robert Longfield Main Theme from Schindler’s List
Christopher K. Takeda, violin Jennifer Best Takeda, violin Samantha Bennett, violin Meghan Jones, violin
W. A. Mozart Presto from Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, KV 364
Chung-Yon Hong, violin Steven Laraia, viola
Gustav Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor
Kate Alexander, Florida Studio Theatre Reading from Elie Wiesel’s Night
Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz, violin Daniel Jordan, violin
Ernest Bloch Nigun from Baal Shem
Shlomo Mintz, violin
Pablo de Sarasate Orch. Franz Reinl Caprice basque, Op. 24
Shlomo Mintz, violin
W. A. Mozart Molto Allegro from Symphony No. 41 in C Major, KV 551 (Jupiter)
A regular President of Jury (Wieniawski, Sion, Buenos Aires and Munetsugu violin competitions) and Artistic Director of many International Music Festivals, he is currently sought after to conduct Master Classes all over the world. Mintz is also a co-founder of Violins of Hope, a project that aims to promote peace through music.
Andrew Lane Maestro Andrew Lane dynamically leads the musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra in Pops and other special concerts throughout the season. Lane’s Pops concerts have featured many notable performers including Branford Marsalis, Doc Severinsen, Sylvia McNair and Broadway superstar Davis Gaines. Lane formerly served as resident conductor and principal pops conductor of the Orlando Philharmonic for almost two decades, and he was credited with helping to shape the public perception of the Philharmonic as an artistically relevant performing group that is user-friendly. Lane has become a favorite with audiences throughout the United States. His popularity as a guest conductor flourished and he has been a featured conductor with The Florida Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony and San Antonio Symphony. He is also Music Director for the Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he enjoys working with talented young musicians from the Central Florida area.
February 1, 2017 February 1, 2017 • 8:00pm The he R Ritz itz-C arlton,, S Sarasota arasota T -Carlton
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C o n v e r s a t i o n s – I & II I James A. Grymes Riverview Performing Arts Center Sponsor - Jewish National Fund Chairs - Joan and Peter Wells
Welcome and Acknowledgments Sponsor Remarks Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Performance Introduction of Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes - Chairs Q&A Book Signing with Amnon and James
II
Temple Beth Israel Sponsor - Bob and Judy Vigder Chair - Nadia Ritter
JAMES A. GRYMES is an internationally respected musicologist, a critically acclaimed author, and a dynamic speaker who has addressed audiences at significant public venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Grymes has been featured in interviews by The New York Times, ABC News, and CNN, and has written essays for The Huffington Post and the Israeli music magazine Opus. He is the author of Violins of Hope: Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour (Harper Perennial, 2014). A stirring testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of music, Violins of Hope tells the remarkable stories of violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, and of the Israeli violin maker dedicated to bringing these inspirational instruments back to life. Violins of Hope is the winner of the 2014 National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category.
Welcome and Acknowledgments Sponsor Remarks Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Performance Introduction of Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes - Chair Q&A Book Signing with Amnon and James
Dr. Grymes is Professor of Musicology and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Amnon Weinstein and author James A. Grymes will explore the complex role that the Violins of Hope played during the Holocaust; audiences will have an opportunity to hear the violins played at the opening of each program.
The violin has formed an important aspect of Jewish culture for centuries, both as a popular instrument with classical Jewish musicians and as a central factor of social life, as in the Klezmer tradition. But during the Holocaust, the violin assumed extraordinary roles within the Jewish community. For some musicians, the instrument was a liberator; for others, it was a savior that spared their lives. For many, the violin provided comfort in mankind’s darkest hour, and in at least one case, helped avenge murdered family members. Above all, the violins of the Holocaust represented strength and optimism for the future.
Amnon
Weinstein has devoted the past twenty years to restoring the violins of the Holocaust as a tribute to those who were lost. 6
About Violins of Hope: Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour
Today, these instruments serve as powerful reminders of an unimaginable experience— they are memorials to those who perished and testaments to those who survived. In this spirit, renowned Israeli violin maker, Amnon Weinstein, has devoted the past twenty years to restoring the violins of the Holocaust as a tribute to those who were lost, including 400 of his own relatives. Behind each of these violins is a uniquely fascinating and inspiring story. Juxtaposing these narratives against one man’s harrowing struggle to reconcile his own family’s history and the history of his people, this insightful, moving, and achingly human book presents a new way of understanding the Holocaust.
February 1, 2017 I - February 6, 2017 • 7:00pm he Ritz-C7, arlton , Sarasota II - FTebruary 2017 • 10:30am
7
C e l e b rati o n
of
J e w is h B r oa dway
Sponsor - Bradenton Herald Chair - Gloria Feibus Welcome and Acknowledgments - Chair Sponsor Remarks Introduction of Violins - Amnon Weinstein Introduction of the Presidential String Quartet of the State College of Florida (SCF) - Chair Presidential String Quartet Performance
Neyce Pierre NEYCE PIERRE, born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, has been part of the West Coast Black Theatre for 10 years. No stranger to the stage, her performances include: Dreamgirls, Sistas in the Name of Soul, Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul, Jazz Hot Mamas, The Color Purple, and How I Got Over. In the spring of 2016, she graced the stage with her very own one-woman show, A Night with Neyce. Neyce loves writing music, performing, and being the mother of two beautiful daughters.
Selections from Fiddler on the Roof Jerry Bock Selections from Oklahoma! Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II Someone to Watch Over Me Featuring guest vocalist Neyce Pierre George Gershwin
Selections from The Jazz Singer Louis Silvers
A Whole New World Alan Menken Cabaret John Kander
CATHERINE KRAUSE plays the violin in SCF’s Presidential String Quartet. She attended Booker High School and is a sophomore in SCF’s Music Performance program. JOEY PHILLIPS plays the violin in SCF’s Presidential String Quartet. He attended Manatee High School and is a sophomore in the SCF Music Education-Future Teacher program. NATHAN GROSS plays the viola in SCF’s Presidential String Quartet and attended Lakewood Ranch High School. Nathan is a freshman in SCF Music Education-Future Teacher program.
All That Jazz John Kander
DAVID LENOSKY plays the cello in SCF’s Presidential String Quartet. He attended Braden River High School and is a sophomore at SCF majoring in Business.
ENCORE
ROBYN BELL, Director of Instrumental Studies, State College of Florida
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Featuring guest vocalist Neyce Pierre Music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg 8
February 9, 2017 • 7:30pm February 1, 2017
TheTN eel Performing Arts Center he Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota Bradenton
9
M us ic
a nd the
E te r na l S pirit
Sponsor - Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative Co-Chairs - Geri Drexler
and
Cantor Neil Newman
Welcome and Acknowledgments - Chairs Sponsor Remarks Introduction of Violins - Amnon Weinstein Introduction of the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Performance
Sonatina Op. 100, B. 183 in G major Antonín Dvorák 1. Allegro risoluto
Matthew Graybil, piano
Violin Sonata No. 10, Op. 96 Ludwig van Beethoven 1. Allegro moderato Hannah Tarley, violin
Niv Ashkenazi, violin Matthew Graybil, piano
14 Romances, Op. 34 Sergei Rachmaninoff 14. Vocalise Hannah Tarley, violin
Partita in D minor for solo violin BWV 1004 Johann Sebastian Bach 2. Allemande
^
Valse et jalousie from Coppélia Léo Delibes (arr. Niv Ashkenazi) Niv Ashkenazi, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
Matthew Graybil, piano
Hannah Tarley, violin
5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano Dmitri Shostakovich 1. Prelude Hannah Tarley and Niv Ashkenazi, violins
Matthew Graybil, piano
Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108 Johannes Brahms 2. Adagio Niv Ashkenazi, violin
Niv Ashkenazi, violin
Matthew Grayhil, piano
Hannah Tarley, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
February 13, 2017 • 7:00pm February 1, 2017 10
First Methodist Church TheURnited itz-Carlton , Sarasota Sarasota
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C l ass i c J e w is h M e lo die s Chairs - Felicia
and
Joel Servetz
Welcome and Acknowledgments Sponsor Remarks Introduction of Violins - Amnon Weinstein Introduction of the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Performance Dessert Reception - Julie Friedman and Toby Simon, Chairs
Although most of the musicians who originally played the instruments were silenced by the Holocaust, their voices and spirits live on through the violins that Amnon has lovingly restored.
Nigun Ernest Bloch Prayer from Jewish Life
Hebrew Melody Joseph Achron Hannah Tarley, violin
Niv Ashkenazi, violin Matthew Graybil, piano
Liebesfreud Fritz Kreisler Liebesleid Hannah Tarley, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
Kol Nidrei Max Bruch Hannah Tarley, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
Various Jewish Folk Songs Hannah Tarley, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
Theme from Schindler’s List John Williams Niv Ashkenazi, violin
Matthew Graybil, piano
Matthew Graybil, piano
Dance of the Rebbitzen George Perlman Chant and Dance Niv Ashkenazi, violin
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Matthew Graybil, piano
February 1, 2017 February 16, 2017 • 7:00pm The RB itz -Carlton , S, arasota Temple eth Sholom Sarasota
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of the
Sarasota Orchestra
Violin 1
Clarinet
Daniel Jordan Christopher K. Takeda Jennifer Best Takeda Chung-Yon Hong Carlann Evans Sean O’Neil
Bharat Chandra Laura Stephenson Petty
Violin 2 Samantha Bennett Meghan Jones Anne Chandra Laura Jensen-Jennings Lena Cambis Philip Payton
Viola Steven Laraia Matthew Pegis Nathan Frantz Michael McClelland
Cello Natalie Helm Christopher Schnell Isabelle Besçancon Chizuko Matsusaka
Bass John Miller Louis Levitt
Flute Betsy Traba Carmen Bannon
Oboe Christine Kim Nicholas Arbolino
Bassoon Fernando Traba Evan Epifanio
Horn Joshua Horne Katherine Jordan Laurence Solowey Young Kim
Trumpet Gregory Knudsen Stephen Madancy Michael Dobrinski
Percussion and Timpani George Nickson
Harpsichord Jonathan Spivey
Harp Shelly Du
Librarian Justin Vibbard
Stage Manager Lorenzo Mills
Audio Engineer Nathanael Nicol
Matthew Graybil
Classical violinist Niv Ashkenazi has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across the United States. Niv has appeared as soloist with Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra, and the California State University, Northridge Orchestra. He gave a world premiere at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as part of VSA’s 25/40 Anniversary Celebration; concurrently, he was a featured artist in VSA’s Championing the Arts Exhibit, where his portrait and personal reflections were displayed in the Kennedy Center Hall of States during July and August 2015. He is the arranger and featured soloist for the TranscenDance Group’s multimedia show, G*D, which tells the true story of a family’s struggle to stay hidden during the Holocaust. Niv’s unique violin and bassoon duo, Dyad, has performed on chamber music series throughout California and is actively engaged in premiering works by living composers. Niv holds both a B.M. and an M.M. from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow. (PMP Chamber Music Workshop 2013, 2014)
Pianist Matthew Graybil has performed as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, France, Holland and Mexico. He made his orchestral debut at age 14 with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and has subsequently performed with the Fort Worth Symphony and the National Chamber Players. Graybil is an avid chamber musician, with over 150 performances to his credit. He has been a prize-winner in national and international competitions including the New York Piano Competition, the Julliard Gina Bachauer Competition and the Nina Wideman International Piano Competition. Matthew received a Bachelor of Music Degree from The Juilliard School in 2009 under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal; in 2011, he completed the Master’s program at Juilliard where he continued to work with Mr. Lowenthal as well as Matti Raekallio. His debut album, featuring works by Brahms and Schubert, was released in 2012 as part of the Victor Elmaleh Collection. (PMP Chamber Music Workshop 2016)
Mariella Haubs Violinist Mariella Haubs has performed all over Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2014, she performed at the United Nations General Assembly by the invitation of Barack and Michelle Obama. She serves as concertmaster for the Juilliard Orchestra. Mariella has received numerous awards, including the Leonhard and Ida Wolf Memorial Prize of the City of Munich and the Gerd Bucerius-Stipendium of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. She is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Catherine Cho and Itzhak Perlman. Mariella appears in the French documentary film, “A Season at The Juilliard School,” which features her daily life as a college student living in New York. More recently, she is featured in the HBO documentary, “Joshua Bell: YoungArts MasterClass.” (PMP Summer Music School 2009-2013; Sarasota Winter Residency 2010/11, 2013/14, 2015/16; Chamber Music Workshop 2015, 2016; Israel 2016)
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Complete bios available at www.PMPSuncoast.org
Hannah Tarley American violinist Hannah Tarley has been a soloist with orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Kiev Soloists and more. As both a soloist and chamber musician, Hannah has debuted in some of the world’s most acclaimed concert halls, including Davies Symphony Hall, Salzburg’s Mozarteum and Leipzig’s Gewandaus. At age 12, she was appointed the youngest concertmaster in the history of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, leading the orchestra on two European tours. Hannah is the Founder and Artistic Director of Notes By The Bay Music Festival, an exciting new children’s music program in California presenting a unique platform for kids to be imaginative, create theatrical concerts that feature poetry readings and ensemble playing, as well as perform on stage alongside their artistic mentors. Previously a full scholarship student at the Colburn School studying with Robert Lipsett, Hannah received her Bachelor’s Degree, with Honors, from the Royal College of Music in London under the guidance of Mark Messenger; this fall, she started a Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Donald Weilerstein and Catherine Cho. (PMP Chamber Music Workshop 2015, 2015; Sarasota Winter Residency 2015/16)
P erlman M usic P rogram /S uncoast A lumni
Musicians
Niv Ashkenazi
of
THE VIOLINS
HOPE
The Auschwitz Violin This violin was owned by an inmate who played in the men’s orchestra at the concentration camp in Auschwitz, and survived the war. Abraham Davidowitz, an Israeli soldier who served in the (British initiated) Jewish Brigade, was approached by the survivor and asked to buy the violin. Davidowitz payed $50 for the instrument hoping his son in Israel, Freddy, would play it when he grew up. Many years later Freddy heard about the Violins of Hope project and donated it to be fully restored and brought back to life. Since then this violin —which is now in perfect condition— has become a symbol of Violins of Hope and has been played in concerts by the best musicians all over the world. These kind of instruments were very popular amongst many Jews in Eastern Europe, as they were relatively cheap and made mainly for amateurs. They were made in Saxony or Tirol 150 years ago in a German workshop. The false (!) label reads: J.B. Schweitzer, which was a famous maker in his day. 16
The Haftel Violin The Haftel violin was owned by the first concert master of the Palestine Orchestra, later to become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The violin is a French instrument, done by the famous August Darte in Mirecourt, around 1880. Heinrich Haftel, together with all the musicians brought by Bronislav Hubermann to establish the Palestine Orchestra, was a famous and successful musician in Europe before the war. Hubermann, seeing what was happening, managed to get certificates for some of the best Jewish musicians, bringing them to Israel and forming the Palestine Orchestra. By doing so, he saved them and their families, as well as many Jewish musicians who were a part of the cultural foundations of the future Israel. 17
The Krongold Violin Shimon Krongold was a wealthy Jewish industrialist in Warsaw. He bought this violin, which was probably a special order from the Jewish violin maker, Yaacov Zimermann, who was perhaps one of the first Jewish violin makers. It is labeled, in Yiddish: I made this violin for my loyal friend Shimon Krongold. Yaacov Zimermann Warsaw 1924. It also has a beautiful Star of David inlaid on the back. Before the war, and still in Warsaw, Shimon helped Michel Swalbe take violin lessons in the music room at Shimon’s house. Swalbe later became the concert master of the Berlin Philharmonic. He remembered Shimon and violin maker Yaacov Zimermann, who gave him instruments and strings free of charge.
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When the war broke, Shimon ran away to the east. He got ill and died in Taskent, Uzbekistan. A few years later, a person came to the Krongold family in Jerusalem, asking them if they knew Shimon. Understanding it was their lost uncle, they bought his violin, one of the only surviving memories of Shimon.
The Jacob Hakkert Violin The Hakkert violin is the first violin made by famous Dutch violin maker Jacob Hakkert. It was made in France at the Mirecourt Violin-Making School in 1906. Hakkert later came back to Roterdam, opening his own workshop in 1910. He also started making strings, and printed a catalogue containing the most famous players of the time commenting on his strings. Hakkert was deported to Auschwitz and was killed there on May 22, 1944.
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Feivel would return the money for his violin, which he since then called: “friend.” By playing it, Feivel managed to save his family and others.
The Feivel Wininger Violin Feivel Wininger lived in Romania when his village was deported to Transnistria. Feivel was offered an Amati violin by a former judge, who offered food to Feivel in exchange for a performance. One day an officer seized Feivel’s violin, forcing him to choose between the violin and his family. After giving up the violin, he could no longer play for the festivities of the peasants in the village. With the help of a peasant, he was able to purchase another violin. By playing, Feivel managed to save his family and others. Many years after coming to Israel, Feivel asked his daughter to have his violin repaired so he could play it again. After hearing the story, Amnon Weinstein repaired the violin so Feivel could once again play. The violin has been part of the collection for the past few years, being played in concerts all around the world, telling the story of Feivel and his family.
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The Erich Weininger Violin Erich Weininger was a butcher and an amateur violinist in Vienna. When the Nazis marched into Austria in 1938, Erich was arrested and sent to Dachau, along with his violin. He later was sent to Buchenwald and although he was not allowed to play there, he still kept his violin. Erich was released from Buchenwald by the help of the Quakers. He returned to Vienna only to be one of the very last Jews to escape Nazi Europe. He boarded an illegal boat to Palestine, but was soon arrested by British police. Erich, violin in hand, was deported to the Island of Mauritius off the coast of East Africa where he stayed until the end of WWII. While in Mauritius, he started a band with other deportees, playing classical, local and even jazz music in cafés and restaurants. He finally reached Palestine in 1945. His violin was given to Amnon Weinstein by his son, Zeev.
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The Bielski violin, a Klezmer instrument with a mother of pearl Star of David. A German-made instrument, circa 1870.
The Friedman Violin This is the typical story of a Jewish family in Romania. Two sisters, 9 and 11, shared the same violin. Both took music lessons while their mother watched over and made sure they practiced every day. During the war, being transported from one place to another, they lost touch with their parents, who kept the violin as a souvenir of their talented daughters. When the war ended, the girls were taken by Aliyat HaNoar (children’s immigration organization) and sent by boat to Palestine. But this was not the end of their travels and troubles. British police, then in control of Palestine, sent the boat and all immigrants to a camp in Cyprus. Months later, the sisters were reunited with their parents and the long gone violin when they arrived in the State of Israel in May, 1948.
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The Bielski Violin This is a Klezmer violin. Many Klezmer instruments were decorated with the most known Jewish symbol—a Star of David. These Klezmer violins were cheap, made in Czechoslovakia or Germany, in shops that specialized in making ornamented violins. The Klezmer tradition was almost lost during WWII, but lately there has been some revival in Europe, as well as in Israel and the US. The restoration work of this violin is dedicated to the Bielski partisans who lived, fought and saved 1,230 Jews during the war. Assaela Weinstein, Amnon’s wife, is the daughter of Asael Bielski, one of the three brothers who formed the Bielski brigade in Belarus.
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“You may not become a famous violinist, but the music will help you in desperate moments of life, and will widen your horizons. Do not give up, sooner or later it will prove me right.”
The Wagner & Weichold Violins Both of these fine, high quality instruments belonged to members of the Palestine Orchestra, created in 1936 by Bronislav Hubermann. They tell the story and history of the musicians, who after 1948, became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO). Most members of the IPO were first-rate musicians in European orchestras, but lost their positions when the Nazis came to power in 1933 and racial laws were enforced in Germany. When the war ended, there was a general boycott of German goods in Israel. In this atmosphere, musicians refused to play on German-made instruments and many came to Moshe Weinstein, Amnon’s father, and asked him to buy their violins. “If you don’t buy my violin I’ll break it,” said some. Others threatened to burn their instruments. Weinstein bought each and every instrument, as for him, a violin was above war and evil. Yet, he knew he would never be able to sell them. After 50 years, those silent violins came back to life as the Violins of Hope. 24
The Morpurgo Violin A few years ago, a lovely 90-something year old lady and her three daughters came to Amnon’s workshop in Tel Aviv. Signora Morpurgo and her daughters brought in the much-treasured violin of Gualtiero Morpurgo, the head of the family from Milan, Italy, an ancient and respected Jewish family. When still a young child, Gualtiero’s mother handed him a violin and said: “You may not become a famous violinist, but the music will help you in desperate moments of life, and will widen your horizons. Do not give up; sooner or later it will prove me right.” That moment arrived without warning. Gualtiero’s mother was forced to board the first train headed to Auschwitz. Her son, Gualtiero, was sent to a forced labor camp and, loyal to his mother, he took the violin along and often found hope and strength while playing. He finally stopped playing at the age of 92.
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This hand-made violin is outstanding because it is unusually decorated by five Stars of David, four on the upper deck and one on the back.
The Zimermann Violin,
26
ca.
1920
The Zimermann Violin,
ca.
1929
Yaacov Zimermann worked in Warsaw and had many clients—both Jews and Christians. He was known to support young violinists such as Michel Swalbe and Ida Haendle, the child prodigy who turned into a world-renowned virtuoso.
The violin was found in very poor condition. The varnish was almost non-existent and it gave the impression of having been played most of the time in open air, rain and shine. It was repaired meticulously for a year and a half, and it now serves as a concert instrument.
This hand-made violin is outstanding because it is unusually decorated by five Stars of David, four on the upper deck and one on the back. The decorations were made with glue mixed with black powder, and usually made to order.
The Zimermann violin dated 1929, is a regular violin made by him for local clients.
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“To the place where I now go — I don’t need a violin. Here, take my violin so it may live!”
The Moshe Weinstein Violin This violin was a life-long friend of first-generation violin maker Moshe Weinstein. Born in a shtetl in Eastern Europe, little Moshe fell in love with the sound of the violin. It happened when a klezmer troupe arrived in his small town. As the troupe left town, Moshe followed them. When his mother finally found him and dragged him back home, he was first punished and then was given a very simple violin — the turning point in the family’s history. Moshe taught himself to play; he later studied at the music academy in Vilna, where he met a pianist named Golda and the two later immigrated to Palestine. Before leaving Europe, Moshe went to Warsaw to study the repair of stringed instruments with Yaacov Zimmerman; since many Jews played violin, Moshe felt there would be a need for a violin maker in Palestine. A year after his arrival, he opened a violin shop in Tel Aviv. Loyal to the tradition of helping young prodigies with their first steps into music, he supported many talented Israelis such as Shlomo Mintz and Yitzhak Perlman. 28
The Lyon Violin In July 1942, thousands of Jews were arrested in Paris and sent by cattle trains to concentration camps in the East, most of them to Auschwitz. On one of the packed trains was a man holding a violin. When the train stopped somewhere along the sad roads of Lyon, France, the man heard voices speaking French. A few men were working on the railways and others walking at leisure. The man in the train cried out: “To the place where I now go—I don’t need a violin. Here, take my violin so it may live!” The man threw his violin out the narrow window. For many years, the violin had no life. No one played it. Years later, the worker passed away and his children found the abandoned violin in the attic. They soon looked to sell it to a local maker in the South of France and told him the story they heard from their father. The French violin maker heard about Violins of Hope and gave it to Amnon, so that the violin would live.
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“Today it is part of the collection of instruments, but not to be repaired or played. Ever.”
Holocaust Education School Outreach Programs — Sarasota-Manatee Selected Schools — Sarasota County Hershorin Schiff Community Day School Sarasota High School Emma E. Booker High School Pine View School for the Gifted Venice High School North Port High School Riverview High School
Manatee County Manatee High School Braden River High School Catholic Dioceses St Martha’s Catholic School Cardinal Mooney High School
Perlman Music Program/Suncoast — School Outreach Selections — Partita in D minor for solo violin BWV 1004 Johann Sebastian Bach 2. Allemande Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 45 Edvard Grieg 2. Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza
The Heil Hitler Violin This is a non-distinguished instrument— yet a puzzle. It is presumed to have been owned by a Jewish musician or an amateur who needed a minor repair job for it in 1936. The craftsman opened the violin for no apparent reason and, inscribed on its upper deck, were the words Heil Hitler, 1936, along a big swastika. He then closed the violin case and handed it back to the owner, who had played it for years, unaware of the inscription. A few years ago, the violin was bought by an American violin maker in Washington DC, who was absolutely astonished to discover its insides. The maker’s first instinct was to burn the instrument — but on second thought he contacted he Weinsteins in Tel Aviv and donated it to the Violins of Hope project. Today, it is part of the collection of instruments, but it will NEVER be repaired or played. It is important to note that the majority of German violin makers were not Nazis. Many were known to support Jewish musicians who were considered to be their very talented and devoted clients and friends. 30
Masks from Romeo and Juliet Sergei Prokofiev Vocalise Sergei Rachmaninoff
Liebesfreud, Fritz Kreisler
Four Souvenirs Paul Schoenfield 3. Tin Pan Alley
Liebesleid, Fritz Kreisler
Various Jewish Folk Songs
Violin Sonata in F major, K. 377 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 2. Temo con variazioni. Andante
Manatee
—Special Thanks —
Zadda Bazzy, Ph.D. Curriculum Specialist Visual and Performing Arts School District of Manatee County
Sarasota Bernadette D. Bennett, Ed.D. Sarasota County Schools Program Specialist Social Studies K-12
Angela Hartvigsen Fine Arts Program Specialist
Diocese of Venice Kristy Swol, Ed. D. Director of Education Superintendent of Catholic Schools Vicki Parks, Ed. D. Associate Superintendent
y
Thank ou
to our sponsors
Violins of Hope Sponsor The Mazur Family Fund Music Sponsor Betty Schoenbaum
Lead Corporate Sponsor Federation Torch Sponsors David and Edie Chaifetz Leon R. and Margaret M. Ellin Foundation Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative Lois Stulberg Gold Sponsors Kates Foundation Joan and Bartram Levenson Nancy and Ray Swart Silver Sponsors Anonymous Gerry Daniel Len and Helen Glaser Ilene and Michael Fox Pria E. Harmon Susi and Jack Steenbarger Bryna and Howard Tevlowitz
Copper Sponsors Genie and Les Aberson Ruthe Actor Allegiant Private Advisors Linda and Bill Berliner Fran and Jack Braverman Brown Family Trust Anita and Herbert Cohen Marsha and Harry Eisenberg Marsha and Marvin Frank Debby and Gerald Hamburg Marcy and Michael Klein Lois and Martin Marcus Ellen and Henry Mason Flori Roberts Irene and Marty Ross Diane Shalev Cheryl and Steve Shapiro Hillary Steele Hadassah and Martin Strobel Adrea and Jack Sukin Patti and David Wertheimer
Media Partners
Hospitality Sponsor
Bronze Sponsors CLEARWATER
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Nadia Ritter and Michael Ritter Bunny and Mort Skirboll Judy and Bob Vidger
Sponsored by JCC Association’s Making Music Happen Centennial Grant Initiative, funded by a grant from Marvin J. Pertzik and the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation.
Special Thanks The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee would like to express heartfelt appreciation to The Mazur Family Fund for sponsoring the Violins of Hope program.
Nancy Roucher Opening Night Coordinator
Alice Cotman School Outreach Coordinator
Julie Friedman Logistics Coordinator
Elizabeth Powers Perlman Music Program/Suncoast
Robyn Bell Director of Instrumental Studies State College of Florida, Bradenton
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Kim
Patti Wertheimer, President Howard Tevlowitz, Executive Director Ilene Fox, Chief Development Officer Inna Sideman, Chief Financial Officer Mullins, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Jeremy Lisitza, Director of Programming