| Details |
Density512 announces the world premiere of the new Holocaust Remembrance opera Eva and the Angel of Death
with performances on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at sundown (8:04PM) and
Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 2:00PM in the Austin Central Public Library
Special Events Center (710 W Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX 78701).
Scheduled in conjunction with the end of Passover, which commemorates
the liberation of the Jewish people from Egypt, and Yom HaShoah,
Holocaust Remembrance Day, Density512 shares the powerful story of
Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor. Eva, along with her twin sister
Miriam, survived Dr. Josef Mengele’s medical experiments in Auschwitz.
Fifty years after her liberation, Kor returned to Auschwitz to declare
her forgiveness. Eva’s story explores the long-lasting psychological
impact of trauma, processes of grief, and the potential for healing
through forgiveness. As Kor states in her Declaration of Amnesty at the
50-year anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation: “I hope, in some small
way to send the world a message of Forgiveness, a message of Peace, a
message of Hope, a message of Healing;” we hope in some small way to
share her message with the world.
The opera’s creative team includes composer Thomas B. Yee, librettist
Aiden K. Feltkamp, director Heather Barfield, and music director Jacob
Schnitzer. The vocal cast is composed of lead mezzo-soprano Page
Stephens (Eva Mozes Kor), soprano Leah Hollingshead (Miriam Mozes,
Dorothy), soprano Natalie Joy (Jaffa Mozes), tenor Rick Novak (Dr. Josef
Mengele), and tenor Thomas Soto (Dr. Hans Münch) with art and design by
Natalie George (lighting design), Eliot Haynes (projection design), Pam
Friday (costume design), and Freddie Demps (set design).
Additional public programs include:
- Book Talk by Dr. Alex Kor, Eva’s surviving son, on Eva’s life, legacy, and memoir Surviving the Angel of Death: the Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz.
The book talk will take place on Saturday, April 23 at 2:00 PM in the
atrium of the Austin Central Library (710 W Cesar Chavez St.), providing
a family-appropriate experience for Holocaust awareness and education
that is suitable for all ages.
- Screenings of the 37-minute documentary Remembrance and Ritual: Reflections on Eva and the Angel of Death
created by Density512 to contextualize the opera within our current
world. Screenings will take place before each opera performance
(Saturday, April 23 at 6:30 & 7:15; Sunday, April 24 with discussion
at 1:00pm) in the demonstration area of the Austin Central Library.
TICKETS
Admission is free and open to the public
(with optional donation); advance ticket reservations are highly
encouraged. Online streaming options available. Seating arrangements
will observe the City of Austin’s COVID-19 best safety practices.
Tickets can be reserved here.
SENSITIVITY WARNING
Eva and the Angel of Death
carries a recommended minimum age of 12 years. Contents include: verbal
descriptions of Holocaust atrocities and medical experimentations, scene
suggesting medical experimentation, onstage panic attacks, episodes of
depression and PTSD, major character death, parental death.
ABOUT EVA MOZES KOR
In 1995, Eva Mozes Kor
founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre
Haute, Indiana, with a mission to prevent prejudice and hatred through
education about the Holocaust. Until her death on July 4, 2019, Kor was
an active public speaker, community leader,champion of human rights,
Holocaust awareness educator, and forgiveness advocate.
ABOUT DENSITY512
Density512 is a chamber
orchestra and collective of brave and open musicians who connect
audiences with contemporary music. We tell stories through imaginatively
curated experiences, amplify the voices of groundbreaking and emerging
artists, and cultivate interdisciplinary collaborations. Visit the
Denisity512 website here.
ABOUT THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Austin Public
Library provides knowledge, technology and inspiration to the Austin
community. The Library is a hub of books and education, a meeting place
of minds and an incubator of ideas.
SPONSORS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Eva and the Angel of Death
is presented in partnership with CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education
Center; Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory
Commission; Austin Public Library; Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies
at The University of Texas at Austin; Butler School of Music at The
University of Texas at Austin; American Composers Forum; and with the
generous support of individuals. |
