JCC Chicago Presents Violins of Hope: Showcasing Jewish Stories of Resilience Through Music
NORTHBROOK, IL (JANUARY 2023) – Beginning in April, Jewish Community Centers of Chicago (JCC Chicago) is proud to present Violins of Hope, an international sensation that showcases Jewish stories of resilience, resistance and unity through the power of musical performance. This six-month initiative (April-September) showcases a private collection of 70 lovingly restored violins, played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust, to appear across Illinois for cultural exhibitions, performances, and community education. JCC Chicago will host a special Violins of Hope opening night concert on April 20, 2023, at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe.
A VIP reception begins at 5:45 pm with hors d’oeuvres and drinks with Violins of Hope founder Avshalom Weinstein and the musicians, with an exhibit opening at 6:15 pm. The concert will begin at 7:30 pm. Violin students from Betty Haag Academy of Music, and Arkady Fomin Scholarship recipients, will be performing, along with the internationally acclaimed Ariel Quartet, and principal clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg. Tickets are $150 for premium seating, $75 for general admission, and $18 for students enrolled in primary, secondary or graduate programs.
More than 50 additional events are planned in partnership with symphonies, libraries, schools, synagogues, and civic centers from April-September 2023. Beyond the Opening Night Concert, the instruments will also be featured in major Chicago based venues and festivals soon to be announced, in addition to the Lakeview, Northbrook, Evanston, Illinois Philharmonic, and Elgin Symphony Orchestras.
Both public and private demonstrations and exhibits will occur in libraries including Northbrook, Vernon Hills, Gail Borden in Elgin, and Chicagoland houses of worship, as well as schools including Prairie State College, Governor’s State College, New Trier, Deerfield, Niles North, and Highland Park High Schools, Chicago Public Schools, and JCC Chicago Early Childhood. The collection will also travel to Champaign to be featured at the Spurlock Museum at University of Illinois. More venues are being added. JCC Chicago is thrilled to be bringing these instruments into schools as an approachable, engaging, and tangible component of the public schools’ mandatory Holocaust history curriculum.
Additionally, film will be shown beginning in April in conjunction with Violins of Hope. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center will be hosting these films in their Goodman Auditorium which seats 240 audience members.
Bringing Violins of Hope to Illinois is made possible through significant funding from Front Row Sponsors: MacArthur Foundation, Jelmar, and Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. The Opening Night Concert is being presented with generous support from the Zollie and Elaine Frank Music Fund at North Shore Congregation Israel.
“Through hands-on experiences of performance, learning about their unique stories, and thinking into the future with the powerful knowledge of the ability of the human spirit to overcome hate and evil, we aspire to make a difference for all who experience this amazing project,”
– Ilene Uhlmann, JCC Chicago’s Director of Community Engagement and Violins of Hope.
About Violins of Hope:
Israeli violinmakers, Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, have spent the last 20 years collecting and repairing 70 Holocaust-era violins and other stringed instruments from around the world, some with the Star of David on the back and others with names and dates inscribed in the instrument. Together they have lovingly located and restored the violins to reclaim their lost heritage, give voice to the victims and reinforce essential messages of hope, harmony, and humanity.
The violins have traveled to cities across the globe, including Rome, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Cleveland, London, Washington D.C., Sarasota, Birmingham, Fort Wayne, Phoenix, San Francisco/East Bay, Los Angeles County, Richmond and now Chicago. For more information visit www.violins-of-hope.com
About JCC Chicago:
JCC (Jewish Community Centers) Chicago, founded in 1903 and rooted in Jewish values, offers a life-affirming journey fostering a connected, inclusive community from birth through senior years. With a focus on growing good kids and building connections, it is JCC Chicago’s mission to strengthen the Jewish community, from generation to generation. Today, JCC Chicago serves a diverse population of more than 60,000 community members who learn, grow, and thrive through early childhood, day and overnight camps, teen, adult and family offerings, fitness and wellness, aquatics & sports and special events and happenings year-round.
With headquarters in Northbrook, JCC Chicago has over a dozen facilities that serve the greater Chicagoland area including: seven Early Childhood and Daycare Centers, nine Apachi Day Camp locations, Camp Chi Overnight Camp and Perlstein Retreat Center (located in Lake Delton, WI) and five Community Centers. For more information on JCC Chicago programming and commitment to community visit, www.jccchicago.org.
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