Violins of Hope Signal Wondrous Transformation

By Meg Freeman Whalen

“Wondrous, my child, is the transformation of anguish.” Yiddish poet Abraham Sutzkever presents this testament to redemption more than once in a book of poetry called The Fiddle Rose. In Sutzkever’s poems, words of suffering are transformed into words of healing. “Wondrous transformation” is likewise the story of the “Violins of Hope,” a collection of violins recovered from the Holocaust and painstakingly restored by the master Israeli violinmaker, Amnon Weinstein.

The son of a violinist/violinmaker who fled Vilna, Lithuania for Palestine in the years before the Holocaust, Amnon Weinstein never met his Lithuanian relatives. Knowing that, like his family, many Jewish musicians and their instruments had been silenced by Nazi brutality, he began a quest two decades ago to find and repair violins from the Holocaust.

In 1996, he discovered the first violin; now nearly 30 instruments have found their way into Weinstein’s shop in Tel Aviv Israel. Some he discovered at flea markets; some were brought to him by family members of the musicians who had owned them. Many of the violins were so damaged from being played outside in rain and sun and snow, that it often took him more than a year to bring each to playing condition. One was filled with ashes.

In April, UNC Charlotte will bring 18 of the Violins of Hope to Charlotte. First played in Jerusalem in 2008 and never before exhibited and played together in North or South America, the violins have extraordinary histories of suffering and survival. Some were played in concentration camps, while others belonged to the Klezmer musical tradition that was nearly destroyed in the Holocaust.

Presented by the College of Arts + Architecture, in partnership with nearly 20 academic and cultural institutions, the Violins of Hope will be exhibited in the new UNC Charlotte Center City Gallery April 9-24. An international array of professional musicians will give voice to these extraordinary instruments in a series of five performances, culminating on April 21 in a concert with the Charlotte Symphony featuring renowned soloist Shlomo Mintz. Related programs, from film screenings to lectures, will explore the history of music in the face of oppression.

Details of the many Violins of Hope events are available at www.violinsofhopecharlotte.com.

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Meg Freeman Whalen is director of communication and external relations for the College of Arts + Architecture

Inside UNC Charlotte’ to debut on WTVI-TV

A new television magazine program about the University debuts at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb 5, on WTVI-TV.

“Inside UNC Charlotte” will offer a lively look at the University's impact on greater Charlotte, said Stephen Ward, executive director of University communications.

Produced by the Office of University Communications, the TV program showcases the breadth of 49er community engagement, including segments on the ways the University addresses critical national issues in the Charlotte metro region; UNC Charlotte’s impact on the cultural scene; faculty research; and the many ways 49er students, faculty, staff and alumni give back to the community, Ward stated.

Segments in this first program include how UNC Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are working together to meet the challenges of urban K-12 education; a feature on the partnerships that are enhancing the Governor’s Village schools; a profile of the University's renowned Cyber Security Program; and a preview of this spring's top cultural event, “Violins of Hope.”

“Plan to make this first show your Super Bowl pre-game show and share in the 49er pride,” said Ward.

WTVI-TV will air rebroadcasts of the program at 10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 10, and 3 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 11. UNC Charlotte’s Channel 22 will air the show at 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays throughout February after its WTVI debut.

49ers sign at least 15 for inaugural football class

Charlotte 49ers football took another step -- actually 15 staffs -- toward fruition this morning when UNC Charlotte signed its first 15 players on national signing day. The gridiron 49ers take the field Aug. 31 2013 against the Campbell University Camels at McColl-Richardson Field.

UPDATE 6 -- SIGNING DAY -- Niners at 15 Signees

http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/23200/fball/13Fballsked.pdf

UNC Charlotte Plays a Role in the "State of the Economy"

On Jan. 25, Provost Joan Lorden appeared on Bloomberg News' live State of the Economy special report with host Trish Regan. The show was part of all-day coverage of a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The segment with Lorden also included business leaders Mark Pringle, director of operations for Siemens Energy -- which is thriving and has announced a $350 million expansion in Charlotte -- and Bruton Smith, automotive mogul who owns motor speedways and automobile retailers nationwide.

They talked about the state of the economy in Charlotte and nationally, using Charlotte as a micrcosm of the United States overall. North Carolina is still mired with 9.9 percent unemployment -- worse than the national average of 8.5 percent but better than some states. One of the key issues of the show was the prospects for manufacturing in Charlotte and North Carolina.

So, why invite an "academic" to a conversation about manufacturing? Here's why:

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina's urban research university. We're committed to research and development that helps solve the challeneges facing Charlotte as an urban city. One challenge is improving the level of employment, which is partly tied, long-term, to the condition of local and regional manufacturing. UNC Charlotte also has a bias for applied research -- research in which we partner in some way with businesses, industry and related organizations. That research, whatever it may be, will be linked toward refining ideas, and eventually commercializing technology and products that may be made and sold in this region. In many cases that means jobs -- not always directly, but eventually. That's one way UNC Charlotte acts as a vital cog in the economic development chain. And by affecting the local and regional economy, we augment our urban research on social and cultural issues.

UNC Charlotte, like leading businesses and non-profits, is a key cultivator of this region's quality of life. And lest we forget, we educate the workforce that will manage and lead the economy, in sectors as diverse as high-tech precision manufacturing, financial services, energy production and the creative class.

When you watch the clip below, remember, there's a lot more there than meets the eye. One brief appearance is part of a larger whole. Step by step, through TV interviews, campus visits by dignitaries, community volunteership projects, research in league with local organizations, interactions with business leaders, UNC Charlotte is helping make life better for all of us; that's our mission and we're sticking to it.

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Cake boss keeps campus life sweet

With 25,000 students on the roster at UNC Charlotte, and more people visiting day and night for events and activities, someone on campus is always thinking about their next meal.

People often anticipate cakes, pastries and other treats as much as the main course. So you'll find Executive Pastry Chef Joseph Torcasso working his way through 600 pounds of flour, 300 pounds of sugar and 75 quarts of liquid eggs every week to keep up with demand for sweets and breads for multiple campus dining halls and snack shops. Read more about the central bakery ...

Cake boss keeps campus life sweet

Artist Marek Ranis Features Sublime Aspects of "Cold and Icy" Spaces

Giving Green Partnership with Schools Shares Hope, Inspiration

Many people have heard the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” This year, the University is putting that proverb into action.

In August 2011, TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider, and UNC Charlotte announced a partnership to provide educational to over 4,700 students and 500 faculty members at Governor’s Village schools. Governor’s Village is comprised of four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS): John M. Morehead STEM Academy, Nathaniel Alexander Elementary, James Martin Middle, and Zebulon B. Vance High.

“We have been working with CMS and the principals at each school to identify specific needs and areas in which we can help,” said Ashley Oster, director of community affairs at UNC Charlotte. “These schools are in our backyard, and as a university, we have access to a multitude of resources that can help the students and teachers at these schools.

TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have looked for strategic ways to create excitement for this partnership. “We have created a theme for each month and designed activities around it. For example, the theme for December was literacy, and it was quite exciting to come up with a fun way to encourage reading,” added Oster.

For the literacy event, UNC Charlotte and Penguin Publishing donated 300 copies of Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact to students at Morehead STEM Academy and James Martin Middle School. Dr. Andrew Hartley, author of the book and Robinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at UNC Charlotte, signed each copy and read portions of his book to the students at Morehead STEM.

“It was a special moment to see the children’s faces light up when they were given a brand-new book, signed by an author, to keep,” said Oster.

The teachers at the schools were pleased too. AnStarie Sessoms McKinnon, a seventh-grade teacher at Morehead STEM Academy said,”Several of my students, who are reluctant readers, began reading Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact at lunch the day they received it, and I am so proud to say they finished it the same day!”

In addition to the literacy event, a number of programs and initiatives will take place throughout the school year including a professional development conference, a job shadow event at TIAA-CREF offices, a financial literacy employee volunteer program, and various athletics, arts, and cultural events. Moreover, volunteers from both TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have been serving as mentors, tutors, and lunch buddies since September and will continue with these volunteer efforts throughout the year.

Although the events have created excitement among all involved in the partnership, Katie Suggs, assistant director of community affairs at UNC Charlotte, thinks the project represents something even bigger: Hope. “I keep thinking that at least one child is being inspired to do something more with their life. Maybe they heard Dr. Hartley speak and thought, ‘I want to write a book’ or ‘I want to be an author.’ Maybe they work with one of our volunteers in the Levine Scholars program and think, ‘I can go to college too.’ This partnership is about education, but it is also about giving hope, inspiring kids to be the best they can be, and introducing them to some of the opportunities that await them.”

To get involved with the Governor’s Village Project, please visit: