"We were hungry, we were tired, we were sick. But we had something to live for."
Wednesday, April 20 in North Bethesda, MD
at The Music Center at Strathmore
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín
20th anniversary performance
Complete live performance of Verdi's Requiem, interspersed with historic film, testimony from survivors and narration tells the moving story of courageous performances by prisoners in a WWII concentration camp
Read about Defiant Requiem in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and more
Praised by The New York Times as "Poignant...a monument to the courage of one man to foster hope among prisoners with little other solace," Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín celebrates its 20th anniversary with a performance at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 7:30 pm. Complete details below.
The "extraordinarily beautiful and moving" concert/drama commemorates the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp during World War II who performed Verdi's Requiem 16 times, as an act of defiance and resistance to their Nazi captors. Defiant Requiem is a complete live performance of Verdi's Requiem interspersed with historic film, testimony from survivors and narration that tells this tale of audacious bravery.
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín was created by Murry Sidlin, who will conduct the performance. It features soprano Jennifer Check, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor Cooper Nolan, bass-baritone Nathan Stark; the Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance. A chorus of regional ensembles includes the American University Chamber Singers, The Catholic University of America Verdi Choir, Longwood University Camerata & Chamber Singers, University of Virginia Chamber Singers, Virginia Commonwealth University Commonwealth Singers, and the Virginia State University Concert Choir.
Since the world premiere performance twenty years ago, Defiant Requiem has had a profound and lasting impact on the communities and audiences who have experienced this powerful story live. The April 20, 2022 performance at Strathmore commemorates this twenty year milestone. The concert benefits the Foundation’s continuing efforts to honor the brave Jewish prisoners in Theresienstadt, educate future generations about why the Holocaust must never be forgotten, and foster conversations about contemporary issues including rising Holocaust ignorance and denial, antisemitism, and racism.
Ticketing information and more for Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín is available in the calendar listing below.
The Defiant Requiem Foundation also produced an Emmy-nominated documentary film narrated by Bebe Neuwirth that has been praised as a "gripping documentary" (Examiner.com), with "a very powerful message" (CNN). More information is at DefiantRequiem.org
CALENDAR LISTING
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín
Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30 pm
The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852
Tickets at strathmore.org
Murry Sidlin, creator & conductor
Jennifer Check, soprano
Ann McMahon Quintero, mezzo
Cooper Nolan, tenor
Nathan Stark, bass-baritone
Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance
with a chorus of regional ensembles:
American University Chamber Singers
Daniel Abraham, director
The Catholic University of America Verdi Choir
Murry Sidlin, interim conductor
Longwood University Camerata & Chamber Singers
Pamela McDermott, director
University of Virginia Chamber Singers
Michael Slon, director
Virginia Commonwealth University Commonwealth Singers
Erin Freeman, conductor
Virginia State University Concert Choir
Patrick D. McCoy, interim director
Presented by The Defiant Requiem Foundation with the generous support of Jeff Schoenfeld and our other sponsors. Proceeds to benefit the Foundation’s ongoing educational programs and initiatives.