February 5–7, 2023
Bankhead Theatre, Livermore
Violins of Hope is a collection of restored violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. These instruments have survived concentration camps, ghettos, pogroms, and many long journeys to tell remarkable stories of injustice, suffering, resilience, and survival.
And now the music of violins comes alive again in Livermore with concerts performed by Livermore-Amador Symphony (LAS), conducted by Lara Webber with special performances by violinist Lindsay Deutsch and cellist Peter Bedrossian. Avshi Weinstein, co-founder of Violins of Hope, will provide stories for several of the instruments.
Join the journey through time and music with Violins of Hope.
As ashes of the Holocaust fell to the ground,
hope rose from the strings of violins.
Featured Bios
Lara Webber, Conductor
Widely admired as a dynamic, creative and engaging conductor, Lara Webber is dedicated to inspiring audiences and community engagement through the power of symphonic music. She has been praised by fellow musicians around the country for her musical depth, genuine expression, strong personal vision, and collaborative spirit. Ms. Webber is music director and conductor of the Livermore-Amador Symphony and the Palo Alto Philharmonic.
Ms. Webber brings a broad range of experience to the podium. She has held conducting positions with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore and Charleston, and was music director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Her guest conducting activities include multiple performances with the symphonies of Houston, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Santa Barbara, Modesto, among several others. She has served as cover-conductor for the San Francisco Symphony and The National Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Webber’s operatic associations include posts with Glimmerglass Opera, and conductor of the Baltimore Opera Studio.
Strongly committed to arts education, Ms. Webber was a conductor of the Emmy-nominated Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. She has taught student conductors as a faculty member of the League of American Orchestra’s Conductor Workshops, and has coached youth and community orchestras. At home in Livermore, Lara is active in her community, bringing music to the local elementary schools, coaching chamber musicians and advocating for the arts as an essential part of the educational curriculum, and a vital part of our culture.
Ms. Webber holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, where she studied orchestral conducting with Robert Spano. She received her Master of Music degree from USC , studying with Daniel Lewis.
Lindsay Deutsch, Featured Violinist
Lindsay Deutsch received her education from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where she studied under Robert Lipsett. With her limitless enthusiasm and vast gifts as a performer and entertainer, American violinist, Lindsay Deutsch, is a charismatic and captivating presence on today’s music scene. She has thrilled audiences world-wide with her passion for music and brilliant display of technique and musicianship.
Lindsay Deutsch tours as solo violinist with Yanni, having toured with him throughout North America, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia and Egypt. Ms. Deutsch can be heard on the theme and all 8 episodes of the Netflix blockbuster series, “The Witcher”, which features her prominently as violin soloist and has recorded “The Witcher Suite, Violin Concerto” by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli for Sony Masterworks, released December, 2021.
Ms. Deutsch feels strongly that the young people of today need to have opportunities to be exposed to the world of classical music. In 2007, Lindsay and her sister, Lauren, co-founded a non-profit organization, the Classics Alive Foundation, www.classicsalive.org, dedicated to building classical music audiences. The Youth Orchestra Residency Program has grown into a popular nationwide program for youth orchestras in which Ms. Deutsch is actively involved.
Peter Bedrossian, Featured Cellist
A native of Long Island, NY, Peter Bedrossian holds an AB and PhD degrees in physics from Harvard University and is on the staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Before coming to Livermore, he worked at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque and as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Jülich Research Center (KFA) in Jülich, Germany. Peter studied cello with Claus Adam and George Neikrug.
“Peter currently plays regularly with the Berkeley Symphony and the Bay Philharmonic (formerly Fremont Symphony). In the Bay Area, he has previously played with the Livermore Valley Opera, Tassajara Symphony, and Pro Arte Symphony.
