Ariela

"Ariela" a concert dedicated to Jewish women composers:

In awareness of the tragedy behind and the hope within this music, it has become a heart´s desire to perform these unknown but exciting and most relevant works, in order to commemorate and celebrate the women who composed it.

Being a Jewish woman was a twofold obstacle: Life in an anti-semitic environment as well as the strict gender-specific restrictions and obligations for female artists.

However, some women overpassed these burdens and followed their passion. It was a fight for survival and freedom, which took place at a time, dominated by the horrors of the holocaust and its aftermath.

Hidden behind each name is a dramatic fate and unique compositional oeuvre which, with minor exceptions has remained unknown to the public. While the holocaust wiped out the lives of many of these brave jewish women; what remains is their musical heritage of unestimable value.
Sigrid Hagn pays tribute to the Jewish women composers:

Helene Liebmann nee Riese
Fanny Hensel nee Mendelssohn
Vally Weigl nee Pick

Viteslava Kapralova
Lena Stein-Schneider nee Meyerstein
Sarah Feigin nee Kugel

Rosy Wertheim
Ruth Schonthal
Minna Keal
Rebecca Clarke
Miriam Hyde

Elena Katz-Chernin
Josefine Auspitz-Winter
Johanna Spector
Ilse Weber
Silvia Sommer
Felicitas Kuckuck
Ursula Mamlok
Inessa Zaretzky

The diverse musical pieces of art, composed by these women, were at the brink of forgetting; some of which were performed live in front of a bigger audience for the first time. This music is a cenotaph of the horrors of the holocaust, but it also tells us those miracolous stories of hope and love.
While many of these women did not survive the holocaust, their musical heritage is going to live on and teach generations about the very quintessence of their light in times of seemingly endless darkness.