Musical historian, performances highlight stories behind ‘Violins of Hope’

A capacity crowd of campus and greater community members listened to readings by music historian James Grymes interspersed with poignant Yiddish folksongs and marches during a special event focused on Grymes’ book “Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust – Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour.”

The UNC Charlotte Office of University Communications extended the reach of the public event, held Sept. 11 in the Belk Theater of the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts, through an Internet live stream; more than 300 viewed a portion of the live stream.

Grymes, who also is chair of the University’s Music Department, was inspired to write his work, published by HarperCollins, after UNC Charlotte hosted the North American premiere of 18 of the Violins of Hope restored to playing condition by Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein. Grymes spent two years researching stories about seven of the instruments.

At the Sept. 11 community event, Grymes spoke about how violins were an important aspect of Jewish culture for centuries, both as a popular instrument with classical Jewish musicians and as a central factor of social life, as in the Klezmer tradition.

In his reading, he recounted stories of suffering and bravery, as during the Holocaust, violin music became a source of solace to prisoners, a voice of defiance and a means of survival.

Violin students Idunn Lohne, Kaitlyn Johnson and Christopher Wescott, accompanied by pianist Zaiba Sheikh, the wife of David Russell, the Anne Belk Distinguished Professor of Violin, performed musical interludes during the readings.

Following the reading/performances, Grymes signed copies of his book in the Robinson Hall lobby, while attendees partook in a dessert-and-coffee reception. The UNC Charlotte Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies cosponsored the event.