Music of Remembrance - Remembering Holocaust Musicians

> Our Purpose

Music of Remembrance is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering Holocaust musicians and their art through musical performances, educational activities, musical recordings, and commissions of new works.

It is well known that the Nazi regime banned performances of music by living and historical Jewish composers, and by many others they deemed degenerate. But there were courageous musicians who dared to create even in the ghettos and camps. It is a priceless gift that much of this music has survived as moral and artistic defiance in the face of catastrophe. We must ensure that these voices of musical witness be heard.

The Music of Remembrance mission is not religious, nor is its scope limited to Jewish music. Although the Holocaust was an assault on Jewish culture, others suffered as well in what was history’s most potent instance of totalitarian suppression of intellectual and creative work. Musicians’ resistance took many forms, and crossed many national and religious boundaries. This resistance cannot have been in vain. We must remember these musicians by preserving and performing their music. From the depths of human suffering comes the healing beauty of hope and renewal.

Our Musical Programs
Since its 1998-1999 inaugural year, MOR has presented two major concerts annually at Benaroya Hall. Our autumn concert commemorates the anniversary of Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass); the spring program marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. Our programs feature music inspired by Holocaust victims and survivors, works reflecting folk and art cultures targeted by the Nazi regime, and contemporary Holocaust-inspired compositions. All of our concerts have received wide critical acclaim.

Who We Are
We are a small organization with a working Board. We draw our core group of chamber musicians primarily from the Seattle Symphony, joined by other leading artists. We receive guidance from a distinguished 17-member Board of musical advisors, which includes conductors Gerard Schwarz and Kurt Masur; violinist Pinchas Zukerman; composers Steve Reich, Thomas Pasatieri and Paul Schoenfield; doublebassist Gary Karr; and pianist Murray Perahia.

Meeting Educational Needs
MOR’s musical and educational programs fill an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of the Pacific Northwest. Beyond MOR’s public Benaroya Hall concerts and its high profile in local and national media, MOR develops educational materials and curricula for pre-college and college levels, and has expanded its outreach with programs sponsored by schools and civic organizations.

Serving Our Community
We are proud that we have been able to appeal to our community of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds through programs that provide broad meaning. Most of our concerts include lectures and discussions which encourage the audience (as well as the composers and performers) to examine their understanding about the Holocaust in the light of the evocative music presented on stage. We seek to provide a setting in which audiences can explore both personal and universal meanings of the Holocaust.

MOR funding has come from government arts and humanities commissions, foundations, and individual arts supporters.