On Tuesday, April 23 in Newman Hall, vocal and instrumental students of the USC Thornton School of Music will perform the Los Angeles premiere of Farewell, Auschwitz—a musical setting of the poetry of Polish resistance member Krystyna Zywulska. The work will be featured on the second half of a Vocal Chamber Music concert, under the direction of Dr. Lisa Sylvester, Chair – USC Thornton Vocal Arts Department.
Farewell, Auschwitz was commissioned by Music of Remembrance (MOR) and was premiered on May 14, 2013 at MOR’s Holocaust Remembrance Concert at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA. Farewell, Auschwitz is MOR’s third commission from the creative team of composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. Through a musical setting of the poetry of Polish resistance member Krystyna Zywulska, this dramatic work offers a kaleidoscopic view of existence in Auschwitz. Passed around in Auschwitz by word of mouth, Zywulska’s poems became anthems among camp inmates.
Artists
Music by Jake Heggie
Lyrics by Gene Sheer – Based on Polish lyrics by Krystyna Zywulska
Michele Patzakis (Soprano) as Krystyna
Irena Preda (Soprano) as Zosha
David Childs (Baritone) as Manfred
Haneul Lee, Piano
Fatima Trives Escolano, Clarinet
John Mietus, Contrabass
and
Instrumentalists of the USC Thornton School of Music
Event details
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 | 5:30pm
Vocal Chamber Music, feat. Farewell, Auschwitz
Newman Recital Hall, USC Thornton School of Music (see AHF on campus map)
3616 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA
FREE Admission, Campus parking: $12
Info: music.usc.edu
[Sources: press release, music.usc.edu]