March 31, 2021 | 7pm
Portland Chamber Music performs music composed by musicians and composers who were imprisoned and murdered during the Holocaust. The Zoom performance is followed by a conversation with Ruth Bolliger, Holocaust survivor and OJMCHE Speakers’ Bureau member.
The event is co-sponsored by Jewish Family & Child Service and OJMCHE. This is one of a series of events recognizing Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month with the series co-sponsored by The Immigrant Story, Oregon Historical Society, OJMCHE, Never Again Coalition, PSU Holocaust and Genocide Project, and WorldOregon.
We are grateful for your participation and encourage you to consider supporting our virtual programs.
Portland Chamber Music Performances:
- James Simon, Arioso for Solo Cello. James Simon was a Jewish composer who perished in gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1944 following his interment at Theresienstadt. Arioso for Solo Cello is performed by Jonah Thomas – cello.
- Gideon Klein, Lullaby. Gideon Klein was a pianist, composer, writer and educator. In December 1941 he was sent to Terezín and died under unclear circumstances during the liquidation of the Fürstengrube camp in January 1945. Lullaby is performed by Anya Kalina – soprano, Regina Sadowski – violin, Michael Liu – piano.
- Erwin Schulhoff, Sonata for Solo Violin IV. Finale, allegro risoluto. Erwin Schulhoff was a Jewish Czech composer and pianist. In June 1941, Schulhoff was deported to Wülzburg concentration camp near Weißenburg, Bavaria where he died from tuberculosis. Sonata for Solo Violin is performed by Regina Sadowski – violin.
- Olivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time IV. Interlude. Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen was a French composer, one of the major composers of the 20th century. Messiaen was a prisoner of war in German captivity, during which time he composed his Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps for the four available instruments—piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. It was first performed by Messiaen and his fellow prisoners in 1941. Quartet for the End of Time is performed by Jennifer Crockett – clarinet, Regna Sadowski – violin, Jonathan Cheskin – cello.
- Leo Smit, Sonata for Flute and Piano II. Lento. Leo Smit was a Dutch composer, murdered at the Sobibor extermination camp. Sonata for Flute and Piano is performed by Lynda Hess – flute, Michael Liu – piano.
Ruth Bolliger was born in March 1938 in Czechoslovakia. Just seven days prior to her birth, the Nazis invaded Austria, where Ruth’s extended family lived. Her grandfather had received a Nobel Prize, and the high standing of Ruth’s family made them a target. Those living in Austria were imprisoned that evening. However, her extended family’s connections eventually helped her immediate family escape to the U.S.