Schaumburg Youth Orchestra Ensemble to play for Violins of Hope Exhibit Aug. 31

"Where there was music, there was hope."

The string section from the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra, Kevan Kosobayashi, director, will perform a short concert to commemorate the Violins of Hope visiting exhibit at the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. The performance will be held at the library at 7 p.m., Thursday, August 31.

The exhibit, hosted by JCC Chicago and other partner organizations, features a collection of painstakingly restored string instruments played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Violin makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, father and son, who curated and own the collection, compare violins to the beauty of the human voice. "When played with talent and spirit, they are known to reach out and touch hearts," say the Weinsteins. "This was the role of violins in the war - to touch hearts, kindle hope for better times and spread it around."

Accompanying educational programs and concerts serve to share a message of hope, resistance, resilience, and unity.

For Kevan Kosobayashi, the opportunity to lead the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra's string performance at the exhibit is not just one of great honor, but of timely significance as well.

"In spite of the atrocities committed against the European Jewish population during World War II, the fact that these instruments survived and are able to share the stories of their owners signifies both the beauty and power of music and art to transcend the darkest and ugliest sides of humanity," says Kosobayashi. "We need to be constantly reminded of this, that there are things in life that are not only worth preserving but struggling and fighting for as well."

The ensemble's program includes Mozart's Divertimento I, Sibelius "Andante Festivo," Philip Glass' "Arioso No. 2," Norman Dello Joio's "Air for Strings," John William's "Theme from Schindler's List" and the traditional Hebrew melody "Hatikvah."

Admission is free for the performance and exhibit.

The Schaumburg Youth Orchestra is a program of the Village of Schaumburg.