Has made it's way to Klaksvík to have a concert.

In 1917, violin teacher Abraham Levinsky flees St. Petersburg with his wife, children, and his beloved German-made Geichenman Drisden violin from 1883. They are not only fleeing because he worked for Tsar Nicholas II, but also because they are Jews. For almost a year, the family travels on foot through Russia, with the violin offering comfort along the way. Upon reaching Odessa, they manage to get a boat to Leeds, England, where Abraham hopes for a better life for his family.

His daughter, Rosa, an exceptionally gifted musician, inherits the violin and moves to Germany in 1936 to play with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Although her family is wary—given that Hitler has come to power—they believe the orchestra will protect her and the other Jewish musicians from arrest. What they don’t know is that her musical talent will become her salvation.

Rosa is arrested by the Nazis on November 9, 1938, during Kristallnacht, and sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp. In 1939, she is transferred to Auschwitz, and later to Bergen-Belsen, where she remains until the end of the war in 1945. Rosa endures unspeakable cruelty, and it is her violin and musical abilities that help her survive. After the war, she returns to her family in England and serves as a witness in the Nuremberg trials against the Nazis. In 1947, Rosa dies of tuberculosis, and her final wish is that the violin be played, and her story be told.

The violin eventually finds its way to Rosa’s niece, Natalie Cumming, who documents the family’s story in her book, “The Fiddle.” Since Natalie doesn’t play herself, the violin lies dormant until 2018, when it appears on the BBC program “The Repair Shop” and is fully restored. Experts believe it can be played for another 100 years.

Now, 80 years after the Holocaust, the Auschwitz Violin comes to the Faroe Islands. Elaine Patience and pianist Gill Townsend, from England, will perform and share this extraordinary story. They will play pieces including music from the film “Schindler’s List”, classical works by Ernest Bloch, and Russian folk songs.

The concert is free of charge. Due to limited seating, registration is required via phone at 737398 or through Messenger to Gallarí Á Stongunum.

There will also be an opportunity to support the event and to purchase Natalie Cumming’s book.

Supported by: Valaverk, Blikksmiðjan, Eysturlon, Hjá Rólant, and GólvFix.