Violins of Hope: A Concert Celebrating the Enduring Power of Music

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Violins of Hope: Honoring Memory Through Music, this special concert reflects on the enduring power of music in the face of history’s darkest moments. Through works shaped by Jewish culture, exile, and remembrance, the program offers a moving musical companion to the exhibition.

The evening includes Violin Sonata No. 3 by Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg, the reflective work Menorah by Davor Bobić, traditional klezmer tunes rooted in Eastern European Jewish musical life, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s powerful Piano Trio No. 2, a work often associated with the composer’s response to the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust.

Featuring:
Natalia Moiseeva, violin
Yi Zhao, violin
Silver Ainomae, cello
Pat O’Keefe, clarinet
Ivan Konev, piano

Program
Mieczysław Weinberg (1919–1996) — Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 37
Davor Bobić (b. 1968) — Menorah
Traditional Klezmer Tunes
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) — Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

Sunday, June 7, 2026 | 7:00 PM | Doors open at 6:00 PM
The concert will take place in the museum's Main Gallery. TMORA Shop and the galleries will be open for your enjoyment prior to the concert.

Tickets: Reserved Seating $35 | TMORA Members $30

Use the discount code VIOLINSOFHOPE to access Member pricing for your tickets. Please note that while the discount code is available to everyone, all Member tickets are reviewed to confirm membership status.

Wheelchair accessible seating is available. Please email Michelle Massey, TMORA Director of Public Programs & Marketing: [email protected], if you have any specific accessibility needs.

Presented in partnership with the Minnesota JCC, the exhibition Violins of Hope is a global initiative that showcases restored violins played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust and brings them to communities throughout the Twin Cities through exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, and storytelling. The collection itself resides in Tel Aviv, Israel, owned by a family of violin makers.

Since 2008, when the collection began its educational journey around the world, over thirty exhibitions, concerts, and other events were held in many countries on both sides of the Atlantic. The Museum of Russian Art is grateful to the collectors and partners in this unique and remarkable project for the opportunity to exhibit these historical violins that memorialize the unimaginable tragedy of the Holocaust.

Violins of Hope: Honoring Memory Through Music will be on view in the Robert J. Brokop Gallery May 9 – June 28, 2026.

The Violins of Hope exhibition and concert at The Museum of Russian Art are generously sponsored by Bruce Goodman.

Russian-born violinist Natalia Moiseeva holds BM and MM degrees in Violin Performance from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and a DMA from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Professor Sally O’Reilly. A prizewinner in several national youth competitions in Russia and the University of Minnesota School of Music Concerto Competition, Moiseeva performs regularly in the Twin Cities and internationally, collaborating with musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra as well as faculty from the University of Minnesota and Hamline University. Since 2009 she has served as Artist-in-Residence and faculty member at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music and also teaches Applied Violin at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

Born in Henan, China, Yi Zhao joined the Minnesota Orchestra as first violin in 2023 and was appointed Principal Second Violin in 2024. Previously she served for nine seasons as Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony, where she appeared frequently as a soloist and chamber musician. Zhao performs regularly at the Grand Teton Music Festival and has toured internationally, including appearances at the Salzburg Festival and a European tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck. She studied with Qian Zhou at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore and with Cho-Liang Lin at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Zhao performs on a 2019 Collin Gallahue violin.

Estonian cellist Silver Ainomäe began his musical studies in Tallinn before continuing at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. A prizewinner in international competitions including the Isang Yun, Lutosławski, and Paulo competitions, he has performed in more than 30 countries as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Ainomäe served as Principal Cellist of the Colorado Symphony from 2009 to 2016 before joining the Minnesota Orchestra, and has appeared as guest principal with ensembles including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. An active educator and chamber musician, he performs widely throughout Europe and the United States.

Clarinetist Pat O’Keefe is a versatile performer active across classical, contemporary, improvisational, and world music traditions. He is co-artistic director and woodwind player for the St. Paul–based contemporary music ensemble Zeitgeist, with whom he has premiered more than 200 new works and toured throughout the United States and Europe. O’Keefe has also performed with leading new music ensembles including ETHEL, the California E.A.R. Unit, and Cleveland New Music Associates, and appears regularly at festivals such as SEAMUS, Spark!, and Third Practice. A former principal clarinetist of the Augusta Symphony, he is also active in improvisational and world music communities in the Twin Cities and currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

Pianist Ivan Konev was born in Ukraine and received his early musical training in Moscow, earning degrees from the Music College affiliated with the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. He later completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Minnesota. Prizewinner in numerous international and regional competitions, Konev performs widely as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States and abroad. His performances have appeared at venues including the Moscow Conservatory, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Sundin Music Hall, and Ted Mann Concert Hall. An active collaborator with musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and faculty of regional universities, he is a member of the piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music.

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