the
nightingale's
sonata

Part storytelling, part live music, The Nightingale’s Sonata is a wholly unique narrated concert experience.

Accompanied by two acclaimed musicians and the projection of over 100 historical photographs, author Thomas Wolf recounts the life of Lea Luboshutz, the first internationally known female violinist, her incomparable Stradivarius violin (the “Nightingale”), and her multi-generational musical family, of which he is a member. The fascinating narrative tells the story behind his award-winning book, The Nightingale’s Sonata, revealing the family’s personal stories while sketching the history of classical music in the 20th century. Against the odds of pogroms, the Russian Revolution, and the Holocaust, this Jewish family triumphed again and again. Through this adversity, family members were linked by a remarkable piece of music, César Franck’s sonata for violin and piano, which is performed during the concert by Boston Symphony violinist Lucia Lin and Russian pianist Sergey Schepkin.