Opera Orlando is proud to present the Florida premiere of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín, a concert-drama that combines the magnificent music of Verdi’s Requiem with video testimony from survivors of the original Terezín chorus and footage from the 1944 Nazi propaganda film about Theresienstadt. The work tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (Terezín) during World War II who performed Verdi’s Requiem while experiencing the horrors of the concentration camps. With only a single score, they performed the celebrated oratorio sixteen times amidst the most horrendous of conditions.
In addition to a full orchestra, and 120 member chorus, the work also weaves in actors who speak the words of imprisoned conductor Rafael Schächter who organized the performances in the camp and others. The piece was conceived and created by The Defiant Requiem Foundation president Murry Sidlin, who will be on stage conducting the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera Orlando Chorus, and members of Orlando Sings.
Immerse yourself in the beauty and dramatic intensity of Verdi’s Requiem in the acoustically ideal Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with a 70-piece orchestra provided by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, a 150 voice chorus from the combined forces of Opera Orlando and Orlando Sings, and a quartet of world renowned soloists — all under the baton of The Defiant Requiem Foundation president and Defiant Requiem creator Murry Sidlin.
September 14, 2024 | Steinmetz Hall | 7:30 p.m.
This work is presented in partnership and with permission from The Defiant Requiem Foundation and serves as a benefit concert for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida.
This concert is generously supported by the Ginsburg Family Foundation, Mary & Frank Doherty, Carla D’Andre & David Treitel and Valeria & Jim Shapiro. Sponsorship packages which include tickets to the event are available for private donors, corporations, and foundations and can be purchased by contacting Opera Orlando at (407) 512-1900 or by emailing info@operaorlando.org.