biography of Holocaust survivor and celebrated violinist
“Music is Life. Music is Hope. Music is Peace.”
Within these pages meet David Arben, a violinist who treasured life above all else. He experienced the loss of all those he held dear while yet a boy in war-torn Poland. He endured privation and torture in seven Nazi detention facilities. En route to Dachau and the crematoria, Allied aircraft strafed and disabled his train, killing half those on board. He escaped during mass confusion, then became a displaced person wandering the streets with no food or shelter. Joining other concentration camp survivors, they formed an orchestra that later played for judges at the Nuremberg trials. David crossed multiple borders without adequate money or travel documents, following his dream to pursue further violin study. Within a few weeks of sailing the Atlantic and speaking only rudimentary English, he received a letter of recommendation from Leonard Bernstein and auditioned at America's premier music school, gaining immediate admission. After finishing formal studies he quickly secured employment with a major symphony orchestra and began performing around the globe. David Arben retired as associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, soloing with them twenty-seven times.
“Because of the violin, I was the only one that came out alive, from 105 people who were shot to death or buried alive."
David Arben's 1997 return to Warsaw.