Oakland Symphony Launches rePAST A free weekly archival concert series featuring Symphony performances to air first episode on July 10, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT
First episode features “Violins of Hope” and Mahler Symphony No. 4
Recorded at the Paramount Theatre on February 22, 2020
The Oakland Symphony today announced the launch of rePAST, a new weekly archival concert series that will present Symphony performances from the past to the present. rePAST will air every Friday at 6:00pm PDT to coincide with listeners preparing dinner and the community coming together for a meal. rePAST will air directly from OaklandSymphony.org.
rePAST allows the organization to now present its unique history, brand, and legacy to classical music lovers around the world. rePAST is free of cost but listeners can make financial donations during the performances that will go directly to support the organization.
Oakland Symphony Music Director and Conductor Michael Morgan says, ”While we are waiting to see people again in person, we will be presenting recordings of many of our most memorable past performances. I hope this will remind everyone of these musical experiences we have shared and the memorable musical times that will come as soon as possible.”
For almost 100 years, the Oakland Symphony has presented classical and symphonic music in the Bay Area. Michael Morgan, since 1991, has served as the Symphony’s Music Director and Conductor and has personified the organization’s commitment to serving its diverse population through the unique convergence of artistic excellence, community service, and education programs. The Symphony’s aim is to make classical music accessible to all members of our community by presenting unique programs and attracting a wide-ranging, culturally diverse audience.
The first rePAST episode will air Friday, July 10, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT and will present the February 22, 2020 performance of Mahler Symphony No. 4. This performance features “Violins of Hope,” collection of 86 string instruments originally owned and played by European Jews in ghettos and Nazi death camps during WWII, which have been lovingly restored over the past two decades by renowned Israeli violin-makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein. 51 of them have traveled to the Bay Area and several were played during this Oakland Symphony performance.
“We are thrilled that the Oakland Symphony is sharing for the very first time, this performance,” said Patricia Kristof Moy, Executive Director, Music at Kohl Mansion and Producer of Violins of Hope San Francisco Bay Area. “This Oakland Symphony performance was the most attended Violins of Hope San Francisco Bay Area concert in our eight-week, 77 event Bay Area tour featuring 52 historic string instruments from the Holocaust. Thank you to Maestro Morgan and members of the OSO for this moving performance of the Mahler Symphony No. 4. We are delighted to bring it to a larger audience at this important time.”