“Dreams of Hope” PBS Broadcast Television Premier

The BHEC was a proud partner in bringing the Violins of Hope to Birmingham in the Spring of 2018.  The kickoff event, entitled Dreams of Hope, was held at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on April 11, and welcomed world-renowned Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein, founder of Violins of Hope, and his family to our city.

The Dreams of Hope PBS Broadcast Television Premier is a documentary-concert  based on that event during which violinist Caitlin Edwards returned home for the world premiere of Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin and Orchestra by Birmingham’s own Dr. Henry Panion III.  The piece was performed on the Auschwitz Violin (circa, 1850), one of the many violins discovered and restored by Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshi from the infamous concentration camps of the Holocaust. Also featured in this docu-concert are performances by vocalists Valerie Smith and Lenora Goodman-Panion, dancer Kelsey Ebersold, and the Miles College Choir.

After hearing ​Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin & Orchestra, ​Amnon Weinsten stated, “First there was John William’s ​Schindler’s List and now there’s Henry Panion’s ​Dreams of Hope. It’s a masterpiece that should be heard at Carnegie Hall and all over the world. There are just no words for the brilliant gifts of music which we received that evening.”

During this screening, two new initiatives will be announced: The Birmingham Human Rights Coalition and The Instrument of Hope Unity Fund.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Randall Woodfin, Mayor of the City of Birmingham; Sanjay Singh, PhD, founder of the Indian Cultural Society; Isabel Rubio, Executive Director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama; Bobbie Knight, Interim President of Miles College; Eric Land, General Manager of  ABC 33/40; and Kay Donnellan, Co-Project Coordinator of Violins of Hope, Birmingham. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter, Director of the UAB Institute for Human Rights