Holocaust tribute concert at ��鶹AV features special instrument from Violins of Hope collection

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A powerful evening of music and remembrance Sept. 18 will feature a restored instrument that survived the Holocaust as the Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with Theatre ��鶹AV, presents a tribute to Holocaust victims.

The concert takes place at 6 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. in Mississippi State’s Music Building Recital Hall, 124 Hardy Road, featuring an instrument from Violins of Hope. Through a repertoire of chamber music, narration and historical imagery, the program illuminates voices silenced by tragedy and celebrates the resilience of humanity.

The concert’s featured instrument, the Soldiers’ Violin, is housed in the Alabama Holocaust Education Center. According to the , it is the only organization nationwide that has a violin on permanent loan from the Violins of Hope, a collection of restored instruments from the Holocaust.

man in maroon and black tie — Daniel Stevens (Photo by Grace Cockrell)

“When the Violins of Hope sing, they carry the voices of those who could not,” said Daniel Stevens, head of ��鶹AV’s music department. “We honor their memory by transforming remembrance into compassion and action.”

Provided by the McMullan-O’Connor Fund, the program is a collaborative effort with Theatre ��鶹AV, which will present “Memory and Violets,” a theater piece inspired by stories of the instruments and those who played them.

“These instruments are symbols of hope and the enduring power of music in remembrance of unimaginable suffering,” said Tonya Hays, an assistant professor of theatre performance.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for those 17 and under. They may be purchased at the door or at . Admission is free for ��鶹AV students with ID, and ��鶹AV faculty and staff receive a 50% discount. For ticketing assistance, contact the ��鶹AV Department of Music Box Office at 662-325-5000.

Under Stevens’ direction, the Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Orchestra presents an eclectic array of traditional, contemporary and emerging compositions each season. The 2025-26 lineup also includes:

—Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m., “Jazz at Renasant Plaza,” Starkville Renasant Plaza, free

—Nov. 9, 2 p.m., “Dance to the Music” featuring Peter Infanger and the Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Community Chorus, First Baptist Church of Starkville, ticketed

—Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., “The Spirit of Christmas,” Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall, ticketed

—Jan. 24, 6 and 7:30 p.m., “Baroque Splendor: An Evening with J.S. Bach,” Recital Hall, Music Building, ticketed

—Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m., Symphony Gala, “A Mardi Gras Celebration,” The Gathering, 1437 Fire Station Road, ticketed

—March 28, 2 p.m. “Echoes of Elegance” featuring Nicholaus Cummins, ��鶹AV Choirs and Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Community Chorus, Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall, ticketed

—May 2, 7:30 p.m., “Wingo Pops: Swing, Strings, and All That Jazz!” featuring the Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Community Chorus, Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall, ticketed

More information about the Starkville-��鶹AV Symphony Orchestra is available at .

��鶹AV’s College of Education, home of the Department of Music, also includes four additional academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at .

For more information about the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, part of ��鶹AV’s College of Arts and Sciences, visit .

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