The Orchestras of Auschwitz

Long-forgotten musical compositions and arrangements by holocaust prisoners have been rescued from obscurity. 80 years on from the liberation of Auschwitz, it’s time to bring them back to life.

The brutal realities of Auschwitz often played out against a backdrop of jaunty music. An orchestra of prisoners was forced to entertain Nazi officers and perform as their fellow captives marched to and from work. However, as composer Leo Geyer (and Artistic Director of Constella) found when he first encountered the musical manuscripts on a visit to the concentration camp in 2015, the prisoners also resisted in subtle ways, weaving in hidden melodies that only their compatriots would recognise.

This programme is based on research that Geyer, composer and Artistic Director of Constella, unearthed in the archives of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The ensemble will give an insight into the history of the music played by the Orchestras of Auschwitz and perform some of those long forgotten musical compositions and arrangements by Holocaust prisoners.