Stringed instruments that Jewish musicians played during the Holocaust are back on display in the Tri-Valley, and two concerts on them are set for this afternoon and Monday night at the Bankhead Theater in downtown Livermore.
The East Bay Holocaust Education Center organized the return of "Violins of Hope," which last came to the Bankhead in 2023. The collection of violins, violas and cellos was assembled and restored by Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein and his son, Avshi, according to the center.
"These instruments have survived pogroms, ghettos, concentration camps and long journeys," the center said in a release quoted by the Pleasanton Weekly.
The concerts
Violinist Lindsay Deutsch and her trio, Take3, play the instruments at 2 p.m. today and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, according to Livermore Valley Arts, which runs the theater.
The program features pieces by contemporary songwriters including Paul Simon, Neil Diamond and Leonard Cohen, and Avshi Weinstein, a co-founder of the project, is scheduled to tell the stories behind some of the violins at each show.
Larry Lagin, the education center's president, described the concerts to the Pleasanton Weekly as a "unique journey through time and music."
Tickets are sold through livermorearts.org. The Bankhead box office, (925) 373-6800, is open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
