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Trinity orchestra and chorus teacher Kimberly Ryan believes in the transcendent power of music.
This fall, Ryan and her quartet, Rosette, have been asked to play in the national program Violins of Hope that is visiting the Richmond area from September through mid-October.

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Violins of Hope

9/17/2021

By Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00, Head of Community Engagement

Trinity strings teacher performs for transcendent Holocaust violin project

Amnon Weinstein has spent the last two decades locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. After growing up to become one of the most respected violin makers in the world, Amnon became determined to reclaim his lost heritage. He started locating violins that were played by Jews in the camps and ghettos, painstakingly piecing them back together so they could be brought to life again on the concert stage. Although most of the musicians who originally played the instruments were silenced by the Holocaust, their voices and spirits live on through the violins that Amnon has lovingly restored.

He calls these instruments the Violins of Hope.

Trinity orchestra and chorus teacher Kimberly Ryan believes in the transcendent power of music.

This fall, Ryan and her quartet, Rosette, have been asked to play in the national program Violins of Hope that is visiting the Richmond area from September through mid-October. Rosette will play at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center on Sunday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m. to a sold-out audience, an audience eager to hear both the music and stories of these musical artifacts.

According to the Violins of Hope website: “Violins of Hope shows the strength of the human spirit and the true power of music through an inspiring collection of restored violins from the Holocaust. These inspirational stringed instruments share stories of redemption, resilience, and the legacy of Jewish musicians.” For Ryan, the opportunity to be involved in the program is a rare and beautiful honor. “Learning the individual stories of each instrument and of those who played or listened to these instruments is heartwrenching,” says Ryan. “Stringed instruments carry so much history, and sharing in this is an incredible honor.”

For their concert, Ryan and Rosette will play the music written by women composers, including Florence Price, one of the first Black women to have music played professionally. “We champion the music of women and people of color. [We choose] composers who have been in the background and we try to bring them forward.”

The group has been playing together for five years after forming as a result of their collective involvement with the Richmond Symphony. “All of us in Rosette either teach music or play professionally,” says Ryan. “Rosette is united by passion for music. We focus on bringing concerts to unique, different venues where people who haven’t typically been exposed to classical music can experience it.” The concerts are usually free, and they play in parks, art galleries, coffee shops — “anywhere we can be more accessible.”

For Ryan, it is important to demystify classical music. “What people love most about us is that we are high level professional musicians but we talk to the audience in plain terms and explain the music to them, how and why it was written and what to listen to and for and what the meaning is. We take what can be classified as ‘stuffy’ and make it accessible and build a sense of belonging.”

For the Violins of Hope program, Ryan was able to try out the instruments and chose the ones they will play. “I was so honored to be involved, to have the opportunity to play these instruments which have been through so much and provided music through incredible hardship,” said Ryan. “When choosing instruments, we listen for the individual beauty of the instrument but also how they blend with one another. And we will be using these instruments to be playing music by these women composers who could not even have their music published. It feels like we are giving them some of what they deserve, and it is moving and emotional.”

Ryan’s hope for those attending Violins of Hope and for her own students at Trinity is for them to realize the significance of art. “Art is something that bridges together history, humanity,” she says. “And their creative outlet, whatever that is, is important, it matters. The arts have a place in their lives and a place in history. You can learn so much from music and the arts. Violins of Hope, for example, brings music from World War II to the present and provides context for what was going on during that horrific time.” For Ryan, this notion has resonated throughout her life.

“The theme of my whole life is that no matter what is going on in life or that particular moment in history, music is something that has pulled me through a lot and is always available and accessible,” she says. “You can use music to give a voice to the hope you have inside.”

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Rosette’s Violins of Hope concert, Strings and Stories, is on September 26 at 5:30 pm at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center. It is currently sold out but plans to add additional tickets. More information can be found here on the event website.

Rosette is also playing a special series in October called So Hot Right Now. It features the music of a living young woman composer, Caroline Shaw. More information found here: https://www.sohotrva.com

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About “Connections”

Connections is a regular online column, written from the first-person perspective of Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00, Head of Community Engagement:

In this space, I have the privilege of sharing stories of Trinity students, alumni, and faculty and staff who are carrying our mission beyond the boundaries of campus. Many of these stories might not make the headlines, but they will illustrate how every member of the Trinity community has a unique path to discover, and the ability to make an impact on both the Trinity community and the world beyond.

I am fortunate to have been a part of this community since my own adolescence. I have been a student, a teacher, a coach, and an administrator, and in these roles I have witnessed the school’s growth and evolution through the years. We have grown in size as well as spirit.

Stories here will capture how seeds planted at Trinity have taken root and flourished into full-grown passions. You’ll also read stories of those in our community who bring their gifts from outside to help us learn. At Trinity, we seek to develop lifelong learners, and stories here will illustrate real-life examples of that beautiful symbiosis.