Ballet Quad Cities: Violins of Hope Mini-Performance at the Figge Art Museum -- April 16.
Thursday, April 16, 6 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Taking place in conjunction with the global project built around a private collection of 70 violins, viola, and cello connected to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust, the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities will perform a Violins of Hope Iowa dance performance at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on April 16.
Played in concerts and showcased in exhibits and educational programs worldwide, the Violins of Hope instruments allow music to carry forward stories of resilience and remembrance for today. These instruments were collected and lovingly restored by Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein. His son, Avshalom Weinstein, continues the work, restoring instruments and bringing Violins of Hope to audiences around the world. The first Violins of Hope concert was performed in Jerusalem in 2008, and the violins have traveled to and been played in major cities in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, England, Romania, Poland, and the United States. Weinstein said, "My job is to preserve, for future generations, the most moving thing that the previous generations have passed on to us. These instruments carry all the emotions, the strength, and the sadness of a human life.”
With their March 28 program boasting original choreography by Courtney Lyon and Emily Kate Long, Ballet Quad Cities is honored to present an original program of dance pieces set to music by composers who died in the camps – works that embody the stories, emotions, history, and hope surrounding the Holocaust. Among the pieces being performed are: Infinity, music by Gideon Klein, its theme “when we choose to reflect and remember our past, including the pain and sorrow, only then will we see meaningful change"; Kaddish, set to Sandor Kuti’s Sonata for Solo Violin, a duet based on prints by Mauricio Lasansky (who established the program in printmaking at the University of Iowa), which captures the grief, hope and peace embedded in the experiences of the victims and survivors; Quack, Quack, Quack, music by Rudolf Karel, based upon a short story Anne Frank wrote as a response to a punishment she received from her teacher for talking too much; and Radio Overture, set to Pavel Haas’s Overture for Radio, op.46, which celebrates the invention of the radio, which, sadly, became a crucial part of the Nazi-propaganda machinery.
Violins of Hope Iowa exhibits are currently being displayed at the Putnam Museum & Science Center, the Figge Art Museum, the German American Heritage Center & Museum, the Danville Station Library & Museum, the Iowa Jewish Historical Society, and Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. The collection of 67 violins, a viola, and a cello includes restored instruments meant to be played and violins for exhibition only. Contact the venues to confirm which instruments are on exhibit prior to your visit, as some violins will be temporarily taken off exhibit to be played in concerts.
Ballet Quad Cities' Violins of Hope performance will take place at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on April 16, with the free program beginning at 6 p.m. and the Figge bar open for food and beverages at 5 p.m. (cards only). For more information on the evening, call the Figge at (563)326-7804 and visit FiggeArtMuseum.org, and call Ballet Quad Cities at (309)786-3779 and visit BalletQuadCities.com.
