‘Violins’
“The name that came up again and again was Sasha Cooke,” said Heggie.
A singer of pristine tone and vivid expressiveness, Cooke — who just finished a week of San Francisco Symphony concerts featuring Michael Tilson Thomas’s “Meditations on Rilke” — said she was immediately taken with the new score. “Music for me is spiritual, and this story is just incredibly powerful,” she said, adding that the piece is at once personal and universal. “We do this to remember,” she said.
“Violins of Hope” performances fan out across the Bay Area. Here are some of the musical highlights; For tickets, information and the complete schedule, go to www.violinsofhopesfba.org.
• “Along the Trade
One of the 50 Violins of Hope features a
Route”: Klezmer violinist Cookie Segelstein in a multi-disciplinary performance with violinists Emmanuel During (Middle Eastern), Hemmige V. Srivatsan (South Indian), and Darcy Noonan
Star of David. (Celtic). Performances Jan. 26 in Napa, Jan. 30 in Walnut Creek, Feb. 1 in Los Altos, Feb. 15 in San Mateo, Feb. 16 in Albany, March 1 in Berkeley; free to $72.
• “Refuge in Music,”
Music director Daniel Hope leads his New Century Chamber Orchestra in works by Holocaust composers Erwin Schulhoff and Hans Krása, with film clips from Hope’s documentary,
“Terezin — Refuge in Music”; 3:30 p.m. Jan. 26, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, San Rafael; $30 to $67.50.
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Remarks by “Violins of Hope” co-founders Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein; performance by New Century Chamber Orchestra and pianist Simone Dinnerstein in works by J.S. Bach and Hans Krása; excerpts from Heggie’s “Intonations,” with mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, violinist Hannah Tarley, and string quartet; 7 p.m. Jan. 27, Congregation EmanuEl, San Francisco; free with reservation.
• “Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope”: A performance of Heggie’s new work, featuring mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz; 4 p.m. Feb. 9, Congregation Sinai, San Jose; $36 to $75; also 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; $15 to $60.
Ariel String Quartet: Music at Kohl Mansion presents the quartet, performing works by Schubert, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich on the Violins of Hope; 7 p.m. Feb. 16, Kohl Mansion; $20 to $50.
• Oakland Symphony: Music director Michael Morgan conducts Vivaldi’s Concerto for Three Violins, along with works by Mahler and Steve Martland; 8 p.m. Feb. 22, Paramount Theater, Oakland; $25 to $100.
San Francisco Symphony Chamber Music: Music by Brahms, Hans Krása, Malcolm Arnold, and Gideon Klein; . 2 p.m. Feb. 23, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $40; 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.
• “Melodies from the Violins of Hope”: Performance by klezmer band Veretski Pass; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto; $25 to $30.