Music composed by Jews living in Nazi Ghettos provides both personal and historical testimonies. The presentations include an overview of various forms of music-making such as partisan, Yiddish, lullaby, cabaret and classical music. We will discuss the power of music to create hope, comfort and even save lives at a time of complete despair. We will witness such music-making as seen in rare music recordings, documentary films, interviews and original art. Learn more about the instructor here and here.

Session I: Music in Terezienstadt

Discover the importance of music and music making in the camps through the eyes of a young boy in Terezinstadt. This is a rare and moving testimony of ‘musical memories' from the camps by Holocaust survivor Frank Grunwald. The presentation includes a discussion about the Brundibar opera and its productions in the camp (music by Hans Krasa, libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister) and works by classical composers Viktor Ulmann, Pavel Haas and Gideon Klein.

Session II: Music in Reaction to the Holocaust

Explore music and art postwar and in response to the Holcaust. We will hear examples of works by leading composers such as Dimitri Shostakovich, Phllip Glass and Steve Reich as we discuss the emotional impact of the Holocaust on various contemporary artists.