CHORALE: Songs from the Camps

Ruth Russell of the Brandywine Valley Chorale wrote to tell me that the group will be performing its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Unionville High School auditorium.
This year's theme is a somber one: the Chorale will be singing Holocaust Cantata, "a brave and beautifully written musical work — an emotional journey through one of the bleakest eras in human history. Donald McCullough’s haunting choral tribute gives a human voice to the victims of the Holocaust through a cycle of songs and spoken prose written by prisoners in the camps."
The program will be introduced by Joseph B. Hirt, a Holocaust survivor and a former staff member at Unionville High School who retired in 1993; he was a teacher and district school psychologist.
Ruth adds, "I graduated from UHS in '76. Mr. Hirt was there at that time, but I had NO idea of his past. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of his co-workers were unaware of his history. From a few articles I have read, he really did not share his life's story until just relatively recently."
After the concert, refreshments will be served and people will have the opportunity to talk with Mr. Hirt.

"My wish is that the auditorium will be filled with faces that are familiar to Mr. Hirt, showing support for him," Ruth writes.

Tickets ($15 for adults, $10 for students) are available on the Chorale's website (thebvc.org) or at the door.