Songs of Truth: Holocaust Awareness Concert

This week, we are talking about The Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. For that, we will be talking with Maestro Urs Leonhardt Steiner, who will be telling us about his next project, Seven Years in the Making, a concert compiling music composed by prisoners during the Holocaust and the stories behind them.

The Symphony Orchestra’s main mission is to use classical music to build community. They provide access to high-quality concert programming and music education for a diverse public and students of all ages. The orchestra and choir draw diverse audiences under the baton of Maestro Urs Leonhardt Steiner; in the Bay Area, amateur and professional singers, musicians, and composers perform side-by-side in works ranging from the classics to contemporary compositions. This results in a dynamic artistic, educational experience that supports deep participation in the performing arts and builds a close-knit musical community.

The Songs of Truth project provides a unique window into learning about the Holocaust through music while inspiring audiences to reflect on, recognize, and resist the rise of antisemitism today.  We will be talking today with the Maestro and his wife, Kate Stilley Steiner, filmmaker and director of “Citizen Film” who is a central part of this work and research, bringing a multimedia dimension to the project and expanding the Story-telling experience of the Concert, and opening important conversations on the topic.