New York City-based soprano (and Davenport native) Lily Arbisser and pianist Dimitri Malignan, with violist Deanna Petre, will present a special and varied free concert Thursday, March 26 at 6 p.m. at the Figge Art Museum lobby, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport.
“Remember Me, Remember Us” is part of the Missing Voices project, which the French pianist founded to bring attention to the profound loss of Jewish composers whose lives and work were disrupted and lost during the Holocaust. This is Malignan’s third tour with Arbisser since 2024, which included a program on friendship in March 2025 at Davenport’s German American Heritage Center.
The free March 26, 2026 recital features music played in the ghettos and concentration camps—e.g. Mozart, Brahms, Puccini, Schumann; music that was suppressed—e.g. Mendelssohn, Mandyczewski, Chopin, as well as music by composers who were persecuted (and/or were killed) in World War II and the Holocaust—Dick Kattenburg, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Hans Gál, and Simon Laks.
The program (which also includes the iconic John Williams theme to the Steven Spielberg Holocaust film, "Schindler's List") is presented in partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities and Violins of Hope.
Violins of Hope Iowa is collection of 67 violins, viola and cello (displayed through April in the Figge, GAHC and Putnam Museum) that were owned and played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Many of the instruments survived ghettos, concentration camps and hiding and now serve as living witnesses to history. Painstakingly restored by master violin makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein in Tel Aviv, the instruments are returned to concert stages and educational settings so their stories can continue to be told.
You can hear a WVIK interview with Arbisser and Malignan above.
