Music of Remembrance - Remembering Holocaust Musicians

> Spring Newsletter 2005

Spring 2005 Lecture Series

Sunday afternoons at the Frye Art Museum

Join Artistic Director Mina Miller for three lectures illuminating the historical and cultural dimensions of the Holocaust’s extraordinary musical legacy.

The Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104

Frye Art Museum Map

Sunday, March 13, 2005, at 12:15 p.m.
Long Live Life!
Terezín, the concentration camp near Prague exploited in Nazi propaganda, produced a legacy of cabaret-style music by professional musicians and amateurs among its prisoners. These courageous songs offer a remarkable glimpse of life in the camp through the eyes of its inmates. Learn about the contributions of two of its remarkable artists: Kurt Gerron and Karl Svenk.

Sunday, April 10, 2005, at 12:15 p.m.
A Musical Manifesto: Erwin Schulhoff’s Legacy
Schulhoff, born in 1894, was murdered in the Wülzburg concentration camp. A daring artistic innovator and political radical, Schulhoff was an important composer of his day and had major impact on emerging musical styles in the period between two world wars. Learn about the life and art of this composer, whose string quartets are featured in our two concerts this season.

Sunday, April 17, 2005, at 12:15 p.m.
In Defiance!
Music of Remembrance’s May 9th concert features works by David Schiff, Lori Laitman and Erwin Schulhoff, as well as cabaret music by inmates at Terezín. Learn about the artistic and spiritual roots of these works, and their literary links to the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the poetry of Abraham Sutzkever.

The spring lecture series, originally scheduled at the UW School of Music, has moved to the Frye Art Museum.

Doors to the Frye Art Museum open at 12:00 on Sundays. All those wishing to attend the lectures need to pick up a ticket at the Museum Concierge Desk on the day of the lecture. Auditorium doors open at 12:00.

These events are FREE, and open to the public. FREE parking is available across the street.

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Julian Schwarz Named First Recipient of the David Tonkonogui
Memorial Award

Julian Schwarz, a thirteen-year-old cellist and the son of Gerard and Jody Schwarz, has been named the first recipient of Music of Remembrance's David Tonkonogui Memorial Award. MOR President and Artistic Director Mina Miller announced the award on October 27, 2004.

"Julian is the perfect person to receive the first Tonkonogui award," said Miller. "He embodies both the future of our profession and the spirit that made David great. This award simultaneously honors both: Julian as a student and David as his teacher." Julian started studying cello with Tonkonogui at age five,and worked closely with him for seven years. David was Julian's first cello teacher and Julian was the first student to come to David without previous study. Under David's guidance, Julian prepared the Haydn C Major Cello Concerto, and performed it at Interlochen as winner of the summer 2002 Concerto Competition.

"I am extremely honored to win the David Tonkonogui Memorial Award because he was not only my first cello teacher, he was my mentor and my friend," said Schwarz. "Not a day goes by that I don't remember him with great admiration and love. My hope is that he would be proud of my receiving this award and I dedicate my work to him."

Beyond his growth as a young musician, Julian has shown a passion for humanitarian ideas, shown in his involvement with Tent City.

Music of Remembrance established the David Tonkonogui Memorial Award in honor of its beloved friend and inspiring colleague. Tonkonogui (1958-2003), along with his wife Mara Finkelstein, was a part of Music of Remembrance from its first concerts in 1998. His memorable performances with Music of Remembrance included Steve Reich's Different Trains,Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, and Paul Schoenfield's Sparks of Glory. David was also the cellist in the world premiere performance and recording of Schoenfield's Camp Songs.

"Through his passionate musicianship, wisdom and generosity, David was an inspiration to countless people," said Miller. "We will continue to honor him through this award."

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Sostenuto Society Shows Sustained Growth

Sostenuto is a musical term meaning "to sustain." The Music of Remembrance Sostenuto Society does just that. They are partners in our mission who have made a three-year commitment to give at least $1,000 each year in support of our work to:

Preserve a precious cultural legacy,
Create new music through commissions, and
Educate our children and grandchildren.

The Sostenuto Society, founded in 2003, has grown to 33 members, supporting MOR from coast to coast. New members are from Maryland and New Jersey, in addition to continuing supporters from California and Minnesota, and many from Seattle. This year our goal is for membership to reach 50, to keep pace with our plans for concerts, recordings, new commissions and educational outreach.

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