DEFIANT REQUIEM tells the little-known story of the Nazi concentration camp, Terezín. Led by imprisoned conductor Rafael Schächter, the inmates of Terezín fought back...with art and music. Through hunger, disease and slave labor, the Jewish inmates of Terezin hold onto their humanity by staging plays, composing opera and using paper and ink to record the horrors around them.
This discussion, presented as part of the International Program Series, focused on the arts and music and how they can express culture, identity and social justice.
SPEAKERS:
- Murry Sidlin is a conductor and the founder and president of the Defiant Requiem Foundation, which sponsors live concert performances of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín.
- Julie Decker is the Director and CEO of the Anchorage Museum. She holds a Ph.D. in contemporary art history, criticism and management from Union Institute and University, a master’s degree in arts administration from Golden Gate University, and bachelor degrees in fine art and journalism from the University of Oregon.
- George Martinez is an award winning artist, social entrepreneur, and cultural ambassador for the US Department of State. He is the founder of the Global Block Foundation, the co-author/ editor of, The Organic Globalizer: Hip Hop, Political Development and Movement Culture (Bloomsbury), and an adjunct professor of political science
MODERATORS:
- Lise Falskow, President & CEO of Alaska World Affairs Council
- Torrie Allen, the Chief Officer of Marketing and Development at Alaska Public Media.
HOST: Alaska World Affairs Council
LINKS:
RECORDED: Friday, April 8th at the Hilton Hotel.