Spectrum Theatre to Host Kristallnacht Anniversary Concert

The National Chamber Ensemble will perform a medley of Jewish songs at Artisphere‘s Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre (1611 N. Kent Street) next month to commemorate the anniversary of a massacre of Jews in Europe.

The NCE’s show, “Jewish Musical Treasures,” will be the first show of the orchestra’s season, and it falls on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. On Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., they will perform an assortment of music by several Jewish composers.

The NCE is the Spectrum Theatre’s resident ensemble and the show opens its seventh season. It will perform premieres of new pieces, including one based on the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” as well as compositions by George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children.

A brief description of Kristallnacht, from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum:

On November 9–10, 1938, the Nazis staged violent pogroms—state sanctioned, anti-Jewish riots—against the Jewish communities of Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. These events came to be known as Kristallnacht (commonly translated as “Night of Broken Glass”), a reference to the broken windows of synagogues, Jewish-owned stores, community centers, and homes plundered and destroyed that night. Instigated by the Nazi regime, rioters burned or destroyed 267 synagogues, vandalized or looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, and killed at least 91 Jewish people. They also damaged many Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes as police and fire brigades stood aside.

“The National Chamber Ensemble concert ‘Jewish Musical Treasures’ will note events that should never be forgotten through our concert celebrating the joy of life and creative survival,” the NCE said in a press release.

Photos courtesy of Nick Khazal