CONCERT
Violins for Peace
On April 30, 2026, an extraordinary concert—“Violins for Peace,” a prayer for peace—took place in the exhibition pavilion “Gerhard Richter: BIRKENAU.” The artists performed on historical instruments: violins that once belonged to Walter Better, who perished in KL Auschwitz, and the violin of Russian pianist and teacher at a girls’ school in Hiroshima, Sergei Palchikoff, which survived the atomic bombing of the city.
The performers included: Ai Yoshida (Japan) – violin, Monika Wrzos (Poland) – violin, Magdalena Komajda (Poland) – violin, as well as Natalia Lemercier (Argentina) – soprano, and Irina Loskova (Germany) – piano.
The concert was organized in cooperation with the Foundation for the International Youth Meeting House in Oświęcim, together with Minoru Watanabe, Fumiko Green, Natalia Lemercier, Avshi Weinstein, the City of Oświęcim, and the Association of Friends of the Karol Szymanowski State Primary Music School in Oświęcim.
On 1 May, the delegation explored the town of Oświęcim, visiting, among other places, the Avenue of Memorial Trees in Oświęcim, the town hall, the Church of St Maximilian and, of course, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

















