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The June 6 concert, free to the public, will feature restored Holocaust instruments performed by professional and young musicians, with poetry, storytelling, and community conversation. Mount Zion Congregation and Curious Music Collective will host Violins of Hope: Sioux Falls, a free community program featuring restored Holocaust string instruments, on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM at Hamre Recital Hall inside Augustana University’s Fryxell Humanities Center. The Sioux Falls program is part of Violins of Hope, presented by the Minnesota JCC.
Centered on the theme “Never Forget Hope,” the evening will bring together professional and young musicians led by Dr. Yi-Chun Lin, original poetry by Lawrence Diggs and Xavier Pastrano, selected instrument stories, and a post-concert discussion with organizers, artists, and community leaders. The theme reflects the program’s invitation to remember the past while choosing hope, education, and community for the future. Donations will be accepted.
Violins of Hope is a collection of violins, violas, and cellos restored and connected to Jewish individuals before and during the Holocaust. Through concerts, exhibitions, and educational programs around the world, the instruments honor Holocaust memory while carrying forward messages of resilience, resistance, unity, and the transformative power of music.
Stories of all the Violins of Hope instruments with the Minnesota JCC: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/634341578/18/
More info: https://www.sfcmcollective.com/events/violins-of-hope-sioux-falls-never-forget-hope-4
______PROGRAM DETAILS______
Program Producer and President of Mt. Zion Congregation: Jacob Forstein
Music director: Dr. Yi-Chun Lin
Marketing Coordinator: Zechariah Van Harris III
Emcee: Rabbi Susan Miller Rheins
String Quartet:
Dr. Yi-Chun Lin (violin 1)
Amanda Xu Romani (violin 2)
Kelsey Farr (viola)
Sharon Mautner-Rodgers (cello)
Poets:
Lawrence Diggs
Xavier Pastrano
Guest violinists -
Dr. Ioana Galu
Alastair Brown
Pianist - Dr. Eun-Hee Park
Soprano - Macee Bortnem
Guest violist - Adam Schechter
Guest cellist - Carolina Rodriguez de Armas
Guest clarinetist - Irina Chang
Guest bassist - Dr. Mario Chiarello
Guest harpist - Jeanne Ekholm
Student violinists -
Kyra Gurath, Xaria Gurath, Giyun Seo, Lily Yan, Eva Hernandez, and Rhea Petersen
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Event Venue
2120 S Grange Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, United States
Tickets
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