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VIOLINS OF HOPE

Violins of Hope

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Saturday
Nov 14, 2026
7:30 PM

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Sunday
Nov 15, 2026
3:00 PM

Winston-Salem Symphony
Sara Davis Buechner Piano
Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus
Michelle Merrill Conductor

Felix Mendelssohn
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage

George Gershwin
Lullaby for Strings

Jared Miller
Shattered Night

Donald McCullough
We Remember Them

John Williams
Schindler’s List

Jonathan Leshnoff
from Requiem for the Fallen
3. Mourner’s Kaddish
5. Prayer of St. Francis

Jessie Montgomery
Soul Force

Leonard Bernstein
Make Our Garden Grow

NC Arts Council

In this program, we remember victims of the Holocaust in a deeply musical way: by performing on surviving instruments of the Holocaust, collectively known as the Violins of Hope, in music of Mendelssohn, Bernstein, John Williams, Jessie Montgomery, and others. Guest pianist Sara Davis Buechner also joins for UNCSA faculty composer Jared Miller’s poignant work Shattered Night in remembrance of the November anniversary of Kristallnacht.

David Levy

THE UPBEAT | a preconcert talk

Saturday at 6:30 PM | Sunday at 2:00 PM

All audience members are invited to join us in the Judy Voss Jones Fine Arts Center, directly behind Reynolds Auditorium on its west side, for THE UPBEAT, a lively discussion about the music and surrounding context. Musicologist and Wake Forest University emertius professor Dr. David Levy is your guide—THE UPBEAT is free to attend, and occur one hour before any Classics Series concert.

Single tickets to this event go on sale June 1, but you can save your seat with a subscription!

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Sat
Nov 14
7:30 PM

Sun
Nov 15
3:00 PM

Venue

Reynolds Auditorium
301 N. Hawthorne Rd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27104

Directions & Parking
Reynolds Parking map

Rideshare and Dining

What will my view be like?

While Reynolds Auditorium’s sightlines and sound are best enjoyed in the Mezzanine, Orchestra-level seating also offers superb viewing and sound, especially in rows F through O. Please bear in mind that Reynolds Auditorium is a historic venue; there is no elevator, thus the Mezzanine and Balcony levels are only accessed via stairs. Accessible seating is available on the Orchestra level at the rear of the house and along the outside left and right.

Michelle Merrill

Michelle Merrill, conductor

WSS Music Director Michelle Merrill served four years as the Assistant and then Associate Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and also serves as the Music Director of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, where she has ignited the growth and expansion of the orchestra’s offerings both on and off the stage.  Ms. Merrill is a proud recipient of a 2016 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award as well as the prestigious 2013 Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship as awarded by members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the American Austrian Foundation, which enabled her to be in residence at the world-renowned Salzburg Festival.

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$28 – $98
Event Series (See All)

Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 // 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Reynolds Auditorium

301 Hawthorne Rd. NW
Winston-Salem, NC 27104 + Google Map