CINCINNATI
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín received its Cincinnati premiere on Sunday, October 23, 2022, in the Rotunda of the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. For the first time since the concert-drama’s inception more than 20 years ago, this performance was led by a conductor other than Murry Sidlin. Given under the auspices of the University Residency Project and presented by Queen City Opera, the performance was led by QCO Founder and Artistic Director, Isaac Selya. Maestro Selya was a participant in The Defiant Requiem Foundation’s first Conducting Associate Workshop in June 2019. Following the workshop, Maestro Sidlin said, “I am delighted to share the Defiant Requiem story with a new generation of conductors. These five talented and enthusiastic musicians will become advocates for the arts and humanities as practiced by the prisoners in Terezín, and ambassadors for Defiant Requiem and its universal message that the human spirit can be elevated even during the most oppressive conditions. I look forward to teaching them what the survivors have taught me, and to having them bring this story to new audiences and new communities.” To that end, Murry Sidlin attended the majority of the Queen City Opera rehearsals and participated in the program as both a mentor and in portraying the role of Rafael Schächter for the sold-out performance. Other performers included soloists Mithra Mastropierro (soprano), Anahita Ahsef (mezzo-soprano), M. Andrew Jones (tenor), Kenneth Shaw (bass), actor Miranda McGee (“The Lecturer”), Northern Kentucky University Chamber Choir (Katie Barton, director), and the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus (Stephanie Mitchell Nash, director).
DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER Photo credit: Brianna Bragg
PRAGUE
On Thursday, November 3, 2022, The Defiant Requiem Foundation presented Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer in Czernin Palace, Prague, home of the Czech Foreign Ministry. The concert was presented as part of the 2022 Terezín Declaration Conference. This conference was organized as a follow- up to the 2009 Terezín Declaration Conference which featured a performance Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín as part of the closing ceremonies. Hours of Freedom was presented at the invitation of Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský and Special Envoy for Holocaust, Interfaith Dialogue and Freedom of Religion or Belief Ambassador Robert Řehák, and was generously sponsored by the State of Israel. The performance was led by Foundation President & Artistic Director Murry Sidlin. Introductory remarks were given by Foundation Board Chair Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic Anna Azari, and host Ambassador Robert Řehák. The concert featured Prague-based musicians who have performed with the Foundation numerous times over the past decade, including members of the Prague Modern Ensemble led by violinist David Danel, and vocal soloists Marie Fajtová (soprano), Veronika Hajnová (mezzo-soprano), Daniel Matousek (tenor), and Roman Vocel (baritone). Hours of Freedom was enthusiastically received by the conference guests and resulted in multiple inquiries about future performances.
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