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Arriving in Long Beach on Monday, January 3rd, 2022, the Violins of Hope will be showcased at two unforgettable public performance events while visiting classrooms across the city, delivering the important messages of hope, tolerance, inclusion and the need to commemorate and remember our past.
LONG BEACH, CA, December 2, 2021 – The much-anticipated Violins of Hope concerts on January 8 and 9, 2022 – rescheduled from 2020 – feature Long Beach Symphony musicians playing instruments from the Violins of Hope collection originally played by Jewish musicians during The Holocaust. Thanks to the painstaking restoration by father and son, Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, they now bear testimony to the power of music to lift hearts in the most horrific circumstance. Music Director Eckart Preu states, “I look forward to joining the wonderful musicians of the Long Beach Symphony to share this remarkable collection of Holocaust surviving instruments. Each serves as a testament to the perseverance and resilience of the human spirit, and the soul of each instrument has been shaped by its individual journey. I think anyone who attends these performances will be deeply touched and awed by the power of this collection.”
January 8, 2022 – Violins of Hope take center stage for an unforgettable evening at the Beverly O’Neill Performing Arts Center, Terrace Theater, where they will be embedded with the players of the Long Beach Symphony for a stunning, one-night-only performance. Soloists include Israeli violinist, Niv Ashkenazi, Long Beach Symphony Principal Cello, Cécilia Tsan, mezzo Teresa Buchholz, soprano Liv Redpath, tenor Jason Francisco and baritone Mark Walters joined by the Long Beach Camerata Singers. Repertoire features John Williams “Hatikvah” (Israel’s National Anthem) from the film Munich, his moving Theme from Schindler’s List and Max Bruch’s Kol Nidre. The finale is none other than Mozart’s compelling and emotionally stirring masterpiece, Requiem in D minor.
Songs and Stories of Hope on January 9, 2022 will present an intimate, mixed-media performance at The Beverly O’Neill Theater featuring Dr. James A. Grymes, author of the book Violins of Hope, Israeli violinist Niv Ashkenazi, mezzo Teresa Buchholz, and Violins of Hope founder Avshalom Weinstein accompanied by the musicians of the Long Beach Symphony. Featuring Barber’s Adagio and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins, this powerful presentation will delve into the gripping backstories of the instruments while presenting a concert of striking string quartets, impassioned song cycles and rarely heard pieces by Jewish composers who both survived and perished at the hand of the Nazis.
The Violins of Hope project includes related educational demonstrations, a panel discussion, a chamber music concert and a week of programs in local high schools all intended to create a region-wide dialogue about music, art, social justice and free expression. President Kelly Ruggirello Lucera adds, “The Long Beach Symphony has partnered with more than two dozen local religious and educational organizations to launch a series of community-wide events surrounding these instruments. Aside from two unforgettable performances, their most important engagement will be in classrooms across the city where they’ll deliver the messages of hope, tolerance, inclusion, and the need to commemorate and remember our past.”
All programs, dates and artists are subject to change.
For more information or to purchase subscriptions visit www.LongBeachSymphony.org or call 562-436-3203.
ABOUT LONG BEACH SYMPHONY
Featuring Southern California’s finest orchestra musicians, Long Beach Symphony marks its 87th season and fifth season of its Music Director, Eckart Preu.
The Symphony presents more than 100 concerts and events a year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs that reach more than 300,000 residents from school children to senior citizens. Core to its offerings is a six-concert Classical series performed at the Long Beach Terrace Theater as well as a five-concert Pops series in the Long Beach Arena’s Pacific Ballroom.
The Symphony has received international stature through its dedication to presenting both classical masterworks and contemporary as well as multicultural work through unique collaborations. The Symphony presented its first premiere in 1939 and since then has commissioned and/or premiered 22 works, including three composed by former Music Director Enrique Arturo Diemecke and eleven conducted by former Music Director JoAnn Falletta, a major proponent of contemporary music.
During Falletta’s tenure, the Symphony won the 1998 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and also produced two recordings entitled Impressions of the Sea (1998) and Pictures (2000). Committed to supporting arts and culture in the region, Long Beach Symphony regularly produces artistic collaborations with local organizations such as Musical Theater West, Long Beach Camerata Singers, California State University Long Beach, Jazz Angels, Museum of Latin and American Art, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach Museum of Art, Queen Mary, Live After Five, Willmore City Heritage Association, and Homeland Cultural Center. Long Beach Symphony was awarded the Long Beach Heritage Preservation Award in 2012, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Organization in 2015 and in 2017 honored by the Long Beach NAACP.
1.8.2022 | VIOLINS OF HOPE – Long Beach Terrace Theater – 8 p.m.
Eckart Preu, conductor | Long Beach Camerata Singers, choir | Niv Ashkenazi, violin | Cécilia Tsan, cello | Liv Redpath, soprano | Teresa Buchholz, alto | Jason Francisco, tenor | Mark Walters, baritone
Williams “Hatikvah” from Munich
Bruch Kol Nidrei
Williams Theme from Schindler’s List
Mozart Requiem
1.9.2022 | SONGS AND STORIES OF HOPE – Beverly O’Neill Theater – 3 p.m.
Niv Ashkenazi, violin | Avshi Weinstein, Violins of Hope Collection Owner | James Grymes, author | Teresa Buchholz, mezzo
Barber Adagio for string quartet
J.S. Bach Concerto for Two Violins, first movement
Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins, first movement
Plus selections by Ilse Weber, Szymon Laks, Karel Svenk, and Yellen/Pollack
2021-22 Classical Series Remaining Concerts
All concerts in the Long Beach Terrace Theater at 8:00 PM. All programs are subject to change.
2.5.2022 | SILVER-GARBURG PIANO DUO
Eckart Preu, conductor | Silver-Garburg, piano
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Overture in C
Bach Concerto for Two Pianos in C minor
Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, “Italian”
3.12.2022 |FIREBIRD
Eckart Preu, conductor | Rong-Huey Liu, oboe
Grieg Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
Strauss Concerto in D Major for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919)
4.30.2022 | PEPE ROMERO
Eckart Preu, conductor | Pepe Romero, guitar
C.P.E. Bach Symphony H. 665 in F Major
Haydn Symphony No. 104 in D Major, “London”
Manolo Sanlúcar Concerto for guitar from Medea
6.4.2022 | SEASON FINALE: SCHEHERAZADE
Eckart Preu, conductor | Inbal Segev, cello
Michael Abels Global Warming
Anna Clyne Cello Concerto, “Dance”
Rimski-Korsakov Scheherazade
2021–2022 Pops Series Remaining Concerts
All concerts at Long Beach Arena, Pacific Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 PM for picnicking, concerts begin at 8:00 PM. All programs are subject to change.
12.18.21 – Holiday Pops!
James Bass, conductor | The Long Beach Camerata Singers, chorus
Performances of favorite holiday music and sing-alongs sure to promote the holiday spirit!
2.12.22 – The Musical Legacy of Chicago by Brass Transit
Adam Boyles, conductor | Brass Transit
Dance the night away to the decades-long, multi-platinum songbook of CHICAGO performed by the dynamic, crowd-pleasing, studio-tight Brass Transit powerhouse that is dazzling audiences with flawless performances around the world.
3.26.22 – Paul Shaffer Presents!
Paul Shaffer | J. Ernest Green, conductor | Valerie Simpson, vocals
Paul Shaffer shares symphonic renditions of his favorite pop, R&B and jazz tunes Motown legend Valerie Simpson and guest conductor J. Ernest Green.
5.21.22 – Aretha: A Tribute
Eckart Preu, conductor | Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw, vocals
Celebrate the Queen of Soul in a rousing performance of such icon such iconic hits as Respect, Think, A Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Amazing Grace, and many others.
