The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Music to present two Holocaust Cantata performances
Songs from the Camps
ARLINGTON, Texas - The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Music will present the Holocaust Cantata on March 29 and April 15, featuring music composed from the writings of Polish prisoners during the Holocaust.
The performances will feature UT Arlington’s A Cappella Choir and University Singers, along with Elizabeth Morrow on the cello, David Grogan singing baritone and Young Llerena on the piano. Both performances will be under the direction of Karen Kenaston-French, director of choral activities.
“As I have studied and rehearsed the Holocaust Cantata with the choir, I have begun to realize what a profound effect our performance can have on the student performers and the audience,” Kenaston-French said. “It is an extremely difficult subject, and the composer has done a wonderful job of setting these powerful, personal texts and tunes to music so that we hear the human beings behind them.”
The March 29 performance is set for 7:30 p.m. at Irons Recital Hall, 700 Greek Row Drive. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets can be purchased through the Department of Music website.
The April 15 performance is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, 1212 Thannisch Drive in Arlington. The free performance is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, and will be preceded by a Holocaust memorial observance, including Holocaust survivors.
Both performances will last about 45 minutes and feature readings from journals and interview transcripts from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. It was from such writings that Donald McCullough composed the piece in 1999.
Angie Kitzman, program director at the Jewish Federation said, “He was moved by the beauty that the prisoners were able to create for themselves in those horrible places and set it to music. It is beautiful.”
The Holocaust Cantata has been performed around the world since its premiere at the Kennedy Center in 1998. Visit www.donaldmccullough.com to learn more about the recordings.
Visit www.uta.edu/music to learn more about the UT Arlington Department of Music.
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of nearly 33,500 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.
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Media contact: Bridget Lewis, Blewis@uta.edu, 817-272-3317
The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu
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