JEWISH CHOIR AND BAPTIST CHURCH TO PERFORM HOLOCAUST CANTATA TOGETHER

The Twin Cities Jewish Chorale will join with the Judson Memorial Baptist Church Choir to perform “Holocaust Cantata; Songs from the Camps.” the concerts will be held:

– Sunday, February 23, 4:00 PM at the church, 41st Avenue and Harriet Ave. S., Minneapolis

– Wednesday, February 26th, 7:00 PM at Temple Israel, 2323 Fremont Ave. S., Minneapolis

Based on research of original music sung by incarcerated inmates in World War II concentration camps, this 40-minute cantata by Donald McCullough, is an emotional, musical journey through one of the bleakest episodes in human history. Working from translations of original Polish materials found in the archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and starting with just a single line of melody, McCullough has fashioned a haunting choral tribute to the six million Jews who were systematically persecuted and murdered, as well as to the millions of other individuals the Nazi Party classified as “undesirables.” These included Poles, Romanian gypsies, homosexuals, transsexuals, political opponents, religious dissidents, the mentally ill and the physically disabled. What emerges from the insanity of one of history’s worst examples of man’s inhumanity to man is a sense of music’s life-affirming powers. The work is in 13 movements that alternate between music and readings.

The Twin Cities Jewish Chorale is directed by Gary Wolfman, and the Judson Baptist Church Choir is conducted by John De Haan. A “Free Will Offering” (donation) would be appreciated at both concerts.