Visual & Performing Arts

This fall, the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse joins communities across the state in hosting programs as part of Violins of Hope – Wisconsin, an initiative that uses restored instruments from the Holocaust to tell stories of resilience, remembrance, and hope.

The project, spearheaded by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, brings together dozens of partners, including UW–Milwaukee, UW–Madison, UW–Eau Claire, and UW–La Crosse. At the heart of the initiative are violins once owned and played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust—some in ghettos and concentration camps, others carried by refugees who fled persecution. Collected and restored by Israeli luthiers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein and their family, these instruments serve as both artifacts of history and living voices of survival.

“Music offered Jews a way to express their humanity and identity in inhuman conditions,” the Weinsteins explain. Many of the violins were donated by families who wanted their loved ones’ stories carried forward. Today, they are played in concerts and exhibited worldwide, ensuring that the memories of those who perished are not silenced.

Violins of Hope in La Crosse

UW–La Crosse’s School of Visual & Performing Arts will host three free public events this semester that bring the legacy of these instruments into focus:

• Film Screening – Stories from the Violins of Hope
  Wednesday, October 8, 7 p.m., Annett Recital Hall, Lowe Center for the Arts
  This documentary explores the history of the collection and the people connected to it, weaving together music, testimony, and restoration.
• Concert – David Avshalomov’s Elegy
  Saturday, October 18, 4 p.m., Bluffs Ballroom, UWL Student Union
  The UWL Orchestra will present Avshalomov’s moving Elegy, a tribute to lives lost in the Holocaust. Several instruments from the Violins of Hope exhibition will be on display at the concert.
• Coach to Milwaukee Exhibition
  Sunday, November 23, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., departing from UWL Student Union
  A chartered coach will take students and community members to the Violins of Hope exhibition at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, including a private group tour and admission. Email vpa@uwlax.edu to reserve a seat (first come, first serve).

All three events are free and open to the public, though registration is required for the coach trip. To reserve a seat or request more information, email vpa@uwlax.edu.

Carrying Memory Forward

Through concerts, films, and conversations, Violins of Hope – Wisconsin invites communities to confront the history of the Holocaust while reflecting on the power of music to preserve memory and nurture resilience. As the Weinsteins put it, “To those who play and even those who listen, the violin has a neshama—a soul.”

For more about the statewide initiative, visit violinsofhopewisconsin.org.