Testimonials

Yair Dalal, violinist : "Violins of Hope is one of the most exiting musical project that I ever played, full of emotion, deep feelings, not easy from one hand and full of beauty from the other. It is to play the violin with tears in the eyes, remembering that we are part of a long chain of humanity and art. It is not easy to play a survivor instrument, to know that the player of this violin found his death and here I am playing my music based on Jewish tradition of many years, mixing east and west, past and present with a great hope to a better future. My soul is moving and my hands are shivering, and always say: remember and not to forget....Many thanks to Amnon that got me into this project and let me played on one of those violins, for his determination, for his devotion, and for his kindness. Many thanks to Shlomo for his way of playing, with full heart, soul and power, the power that gives hope..."

Ernst Simon Glaser, cellist : "It was my brother Torleif Torgersen who introduced me to Amnon in Bergen, Norway, and so I became acquainted with him and his warm positive character. Amnon invited me to play in a concert with maestro Shlomo Mintz, Hagai Shaham, Cihat Askin and my brother Torleif Torgersen in Paris. During that concert the story of my father (click to the story) was told, and Shlomo Mintz played on the violin that should have been played on in 1941. I cannot begin to express the intense feelings I experienced seeing Shlomo walk onto stage with that violin on his way. If possible I was even more moved when Amnon and Shlomo invited me to perform and tell the story of my father personally in Jerusalem later. I have to thank The Violins of Hope project for so much. For highlighting the story and difficulties of my father, for telling the story of so many people and last, but far from least, I now have some unbelievable new friends.

The Violins of Hope project gives hope and inspiration to thousands of people."

Sander Sittig, pianist : "The Violins of Hope have turned the Shoah into a tangible, concrete event and connected me with my past as a descendant of Central European Jews, many of whom were musicians and music lovers. I realized how close the fate of these violins comes to my personal history and I feel deep gratitude towards Amnon for showing the world a clearer image of what tragedies lay behind the well-worn number '6 million'."

Daniel Kurganov, Student of Prof. Koelman (Master degree at Zurich University of Arts). "The Violins of Hope project in Sion – has been one of the most inspirational moments in my musical and personal life. The violin from Auschwitz, which I played, breathed its life and history at me and after over 65 years of silence, this violin was able to sing again. It made me rethink what it means to play music and it became especially clear to me that music is not about competition, perfection or politics, but all about expression and perseverance of the soul. Playing on this violin and being a part of the project has given me an incredible feeling of solidarity with people for whom music was a means of life and survival. What Shlomo Mintz, Amnon Weinstein and others involved have done with this project is a invaluable service to music and to the historical legacy of the Holocaust."