New West Symphony to Present VIOLINS OF HOPE

New West Symphony, led by Grammy®-winning Music Director Michael Christie, continues its 25th anniversary season and its Duet of Remembrance concert series honoring the Holocaust and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps with Violins of Hope on April 18-19 in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo.

Violins of Hope will feature select musicians from the Symphony performing on a collection of string instruments lovingly restored and with their own stories from the Holocaust - many that were played in concentration camps. New West Symphony is the only Ventura County orchestra performing on these rare instruments. The program will feature Lukas Foss's Elegy for Anne Frank, Jonathan Leshnoff's Grammy®-nominated Symphony No. 4 "Heichalos," written exclusively for Violins of Hope, and guest pianist Olga Kern will accompany the Symphony in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.

"New West Symphony is honored to be part of the larger story dedicated to remembering lives lost from the Holocaust by performing on the iconic Violins of Hope string collection," said Michael Christie, who continues his inaugural season as New West Symphony's Music Director. "We are grateful for the opportunity to unite these historical instruments on stage and give voice to those who lost their lives or fought for survival, while bringing awareness to the public and fostering important conversations about this dark time."

The Violins of Hope collection consists of over 60 violins, violas and cellos, many of them donated by survivors and family members whose relatives were killed in a concentration camp. The collection of instruments was carefully refurbished by violin makers Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshalom in their small Tel Aviv workshop. The father-son duo created Violins of Hope as a way to preserve lost culture and to educate audiences all over the world about one of history's darkest chapters. New West Symphony will perform on ten Violins of Hope instruments, including eight violins, one viola and one cello.

The second portion of the concert will present internationally-acclaimed pianist Olga Kern performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Symphony. Recognized as one of her generation's greatest artists, Kern captivates audiences with her vivid stage presence, passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary technique.

New West Symphony's Violins of Hope concerts will take place Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. at Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center. Single tickets are available for $30 - $120 online at NewWestSymphony.org or by phone at (866) 776-8400.

Violins of Hope is part of New West Symphony's 2019-2020 Masterpiece series. The Masterpiece Series concludes with special guest violinist Sarah Chang performing Brahms (May 2-3). As part of its 25th anniversary season, New West Symphony has introduced enhancing concert intermission experiences including "Intermission Insights," a 10-minute Q&A with guest artists led by Maestro Christie immediately following the first half, and Entr'acte, a performance of a short lesser-known piece performed at the end of intermission with the purpose of presenting new music to audiences.

DETAILS

New West Symphony presents

Violins of Hope with guest pianist Olga Kern

Violins of Hope

Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Fred Kavli Theatre
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 3 p.m.
Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center
4235 Mar Vista Dr., Camarillo, CA 93010

PROGRAM:

Violins of Hope

Michael Christie, conductor

Olga Kern, piano

Lukas Foss | Elegy for Anne Frank

Jonathan Leshnoff | Symphony No. 4 "Heichalos"

Sergei Rachmaninoff | Piano Concerto No. 3

ENTR'ACTE | Bacewicz | Concerto for String Orchestra (Allegro)

TICKETS:

Single concert tickets: $30 - $120

Available for purchase at NewWestSymphony.org or by calling (866) 776-8400.

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