Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Launches Violins of Hope Wisconsin Residency

The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) will honor the past, enlighten the present, and inspire the future by showcasing musical instruments from the Holocaust in the Violins of Hope-Wisconsin residency from September 2025 through January 2026.

The Violins of Hope are instruments that Jewish musicians, and others targeted by the Nazis, owned and played during the Holocaust.

The violins and their stories have been shared around the world. Now MYSO is bringing Wisconsin a once-in-a-lifetime experience to hear them.

The residency will offer over 35 performances, exhibitions, and educational programs — weaving a tapestry of respect, understanding, and hope through the power of art, conversation, and experience.

A Grand Opening celebration on September 17 will feature MYSO musicians performing with the instruments and telling their stories.

MYSO assembled a broad spectrum of community, arts, and cultural groups, as well as schools, universities, and religious organizations, to bring the instruments here — as they are deeply relevant now, amid rising antisemitism and other forms of hate.

“MYSO is presenting Violins of Hope-Wisconsin because our mission and vision are to unite us through the power of music, connecting how we see ourselves, each other, and the world around us,” Chief Executive Officer Linda Edelstein said. “And we are presenting this residency now because this calling is more important than ever.

“Our students will bear witness to the history of the Holocaust through the Violins of Hope and the stories of Jewish musicians who played these instruments — allowing the power of music to unite us today.”

MYSO is working with 60 organizations to offer Violins of Hope events, from the Milwaukee area to Eau Claire, La Crosse, Madison, West Bend, Sheboygan, and Racine.

Holocaust education will be part of the residency. Through MYSO’s partnership with the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, students from middle and high schools, and many of our community partners, will receive Holocaust and Violins of Hope instruction in residency programs. MYSO’s other partners in the residency include several University of Wisconsin campuses, including Madison and Milwaukee; the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center; Frankly Music; First Stage; Jewish Museum Milwaukee; the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center; the Milwaukee Ballet; the Medical College of Wisconsin; and the Milwaukee County Historical Society.

To learn more about the residency, its partners, and events, or to volunteer, please visit www.violinsofhopewisconsin.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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