The Shoah Songbook, featuring soprano Jaclyn Grossman and Nate Ben-Horin— the Likht Ensemble— took what could be called the long road to its live staging. The Likht Ensemble production, which includes narration from Ben Heppner, will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27 at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre in Toronto.
“It feels strange to look back at the genesis of this project, which began amidst COVID lockdowns, isolation, and a lack of shared artistic experiences. I’m so grateful the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company took a chance on us, two young artists at the onset of this work. Almost four years later, we are sharing this music in person, something that seemed out of reach when the project began,” says Jaclyn Grossman, Likht Ensemble Co-Founder in a statement.
“This project has been our artistic lifeline for several years, and it’s an honour to present music that means so much to us, to the Jewish community, and to our friends and colleagues in the opera world,” comments Nate Ben-Horin, Likht Ensemble Co-Founder.
Jaclyn Grossman & The Shoah Songbook
Dramatic soprano Jaclyn Grossman is a former resident artist with Pacific Opera Victoria’s Civic Engagement Artist Residency, and alumna of the Rebanks Family Fellowship with Toronto’s Royal Conservatory. She has performed with Edmonton Opera and the Buffalo Philharmonic as a soloist.
Jaclyn is co-founder of the Likht Ensemble, devoted to exploring and sharing the music of Jewish composers whose lives and work were impacted by the Nazi holocaust. As an artist, she explores the spaces where Germanic repertoire crosses paths with the voices that were extinguished by the Nazi regime.
The Shoah Songbook is an ongoing recital series that Grossman has initiated and taken on tour to the Chattanooga Symphony and Public Libraries, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Schulich School of Music, among other venues, with earlier versions of the program. She brings it back to Toronto’s Harold Green Jewish Theatre for a second time, and the series’ final instalment.
“Our final instalment of the Shoah Songbook series will revisit some of our favourite pieces from our digital recitals, including music from ghettos of Poland, Lithuania and Czechia. Interspersed with the music will be narration from Ben Heppner, who will share stories about the artists featured, their experiences, and how the music was not only created, but how it survived and endured the test of time. I also feel very privileged to be joined by one of my incredible mentors, Barry Shiffman, on violin. This project has truly been about connecting the legacy of Jewish artists, past and present, and how we create through our shared history,” says Jaclyn.
The Music
“The more we studied and learned about the Holocaust, the more we were confronted with the understanding that persecution and xenophobic mistreatment are universal experiences. The more we examined the othering of one group, the more empathy and understanding we developed for similarly treated groups across the globe, who face new climates of hatred and violence each day. What was most illuminating, was the undercurrent of optimism that ran through the works we discovered. We were bolstered by the messages of hope and humanism from the past, and encouraged to find more paths forward that we can forge to build new connections and understanding,” explains Jaclyn.
“Jaclyn and Nate of Likht Ensemble have a passion and vision to share this recovered music and shine a light on the beauty of the Jewish people, their tortured history, and hope for a better future. They approach their work with conviction and passion and miraculously have found a way to even bring joy into an impossibly painful history. It is a privilege to join them for this concert,” comments Barry Shiffman.
“I’m especially excited about our two brand new arrangements — Miriam Harel’s “Kalt” (“Cold”), and Leon Kaczmarek’s “Der Herbst ist da!” (“Autumn is here!”) — two of the most evocative melodies we’ve come across in all our research,” says Nate.
“The power of good art is to put it in front of an audience and allow them to make their own conclusions. We hope that music from this time can help humanize these artist’s experience and bring attention to global suffering not just for the Jewish community, but all marginalized groups,” he adds.
- Find out more about the performance and tickets [HERE].
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