'Voices of a Vanished World':
Choral Work Celebrates the
Spirit of Survival

In 2006 the MSU Children’s Choir, under the direction of Mary Alice Stollak, presented the world premiere of "Voices of a Vanished World," a choral work by Marjan Helms commissioned by the  MSU Children’s Choir and supported by the College of Arts and Letters.

This composition for treble voices and chamber ensemble explores the emotional and spiritual impact of the Holocaust as witnessed through the eyes of children. The piece draws on the melodic contours and instrumental colors of Yiddish folk music as well as Jewish liturgical chant. Both music and text work together to express the spirit of survival that arose in an environment of overwhelming grief. As a counterpoint to the musical narrative, the work incorporates a large-scale multimedia presentation of archival photographic images representing European Jewish culture before and during the Holocaust.

The choir has also recorded a CD, Songs of Sorrow, Songs of Hope, featuring Georgia Fragale on piano with the Community Music School Chamber Orchestra, which includes two moving expressions of remembrance and commemoration. Marjan Helms' "Terezin Lieder" features settings of poetry written by children interned at the Terezin concentration camp; "I Dream of Peace," composed by Robert Jager, evokes images of war as experienced by children of the former Yugoslavia. The CD can be ordered online through the MSU Community Music School.

 

 

 

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