Shony Alex Braun

Shony Alex Braun was a violin virtuoso, a prolific composer and also a Holocaust Survivor. His story of survival is recorded in his book, My Heart Is a Violin, by Emily Cavins. His over 200 compositions range from classic, romantic and Gypsy music, to his stellar achievement, Symphony of the Holocaust, for solo violin and orchestra, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1993. He has recorded eleven albums which are now available on CD. Shony has appeared in numerous films and television shows during the 1960’s and 70’s.

His story:

Shony Alex Braun first encountered the enchanting spell of the violin as a frightened four-year-old child, lost in the dark forests of Transylvania (Hungary-Romania). Rescued by Gypsies and taken to their camp, little Shony was comforted and fascinated by the little box that makes music. Six years later, he debuted on Radio Bucharest as a child prodigy violinist.

Shony began composing music at the age of eleven. Two years later, he received a scholarship from the Budapest Academy of Music. His musical studies, however, were cut short when he was transported along with the rest of his family, to the concentration camp at Auschwitz and, later, Dachau.

Throughout the Nazi nightmare, the violin continued to comfort Shony and, on one occasion, literally saved his life. The day before the Dachau concentration camp was liberated by the Allies, Shony was shot in the chest and left for dead. But he survived and his music endured.

After liberation, Shony continued his music studies and graduated from the world-famous Mozarteum Academy of Music in Salzburg, Austria. He and his wife Shàri, also a Holocaust survivor, immigrated to the United States, where he studied violin with Professor Josef Gingold at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Music.

From concentration camps to concert halls, Shony Alex Braun’s life is an extraordinary saga of survival and triumph. The magic of his violin and the intensity and joy of his music have stirred and inspired audiences around the world.