KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — As part of the traveling Violins of Hope exhibition in Knoxville, Co-Founder Avshi Weinstein is taking the Holocaust-era violins on the road to visit several schools in the area.
On Monday afternoon, he visited the Stanford Eisenberg Knoxville Jewish Day School.
RELATED: Traveling exhibit brings violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust to Knoxville
Siblings Lydia and Garen Anderson, who play with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, performed with two of the historical instruments.
"I thought it was really cool to be able to play an instrument with this much history," Lydia Anderson said.
"I was thinking of all the history and I had conflicting emotions when I was playing it," her brother, Garen Anderson added.
Hallie Boring, a former student at the day school said the experience was unlike any other.
"There are probably so many stories that we don't even know. They're just hidden in the wood of these violins," Boring said. "We're very lucky to be able to learn about this and to have all of these instruments and their stories."
The public will have the opportunity to hear the Violins of Hope at two special Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performances at the Tennessee Theatre. Tickets are still available. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday (January 23-24) at 7 p.m.