Berkley Students to Perform World Premiere of Cantata Based Anne Frank's Life

The premiere of My Name is Anne Frank, the first in a series of events hosted by the Holocaust Memorial Center (HMC) in Farmington Hills, will be performed May 7 by the Berkley High School orchestra and choir, at the school's Auditorium, 2325 Catalpa in Berkley.

Starting at 7 p.m. , the performance is the world premiere of the composer Volker Blumenthaler's complete and original orchestration, celebrating the life of a young girl who is arguably the most well known Holocaust victim. The program features solos by Hazzan Daniel Gross (of Adat Shalom Synagogue) and Cantor Penny Steyer (of Temple Shir Shalom).

This event celebrates the HMC's acquisition of a sapling from the white chestnut tree that brought Anne Frank solace as she and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II.

[Read: BHS to Present U.S. Premiere of Cantata Based Anne Frank's Life]

This is a big moment for music education in the state of Michigan. Not only are a high school orchestra and choir premiering this historic piece in the United States, but also the composer and lyricist, Blumenthaler and Alexander Gruber, respectively, will be visiting from Germany to speak about their inspiration to compose the piece and hear it performed in its entirety for the first time.

This is an equally momentous occasion for Holocaust education in Michigan, especially as it concerns Anne Frank. The cantata is the first of a variety of events the Holocaust Memorial Center is hosting throughout the spring and summer that include the dedication and planting of the tree, and educational events for children and their parents. The HMC is developing a study guide for teaching about the Diary of Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

The Berkley High School orchestra and choir were invited to perform the cantata by the Holocaust Memorial Center and Dr. Guy Stern, director of the International Institute of the Righteous. Dr. Stern envisioned high school students performing the premiere to pay homage to Anne’s teenage Holocaust experience, and invited Berkley’s award-winning orchestra and choir to participate.

This event is already sold out, and tickets will not be available at the door. The community is welcome to watch the cantata premiere LIVE online here:http://www.berkleyschools.org/berkley-school-district/pages/74907/bhs-cantata-premiere beginning at 7 p.m. on May 7.

Source: Berkley School District