Jesmond resident directs fourth Brundibár festival

Jan 24, 2020 by Bess Coop in Arts

Jesmond violinist Alexandra Raikhlina will be at the helm of this year’s Brundibár Arts Festival which begins on Monday and showcases music and art made during the Holocaust.

Running from from 27 January to 4 February at venues in Newcastle and Gateshead, it is the UK’s first annual festival dedicated to Holocaust music and art. It takes its name from Hans Krása’s children’s opera, “Brundibár”, which means bumblebee. The opera was first performed in 1943 by children at Theresienstadt concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia.

Raikhlina, who founded the festival in 2016, is a member of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and works at Sage Gateshead.

When did you first have the idea for Brundibár Arts Festival?

Well, around 10 years ago, I was asked to perform at Newcastle City Council Holocaust Memorial Day. At the time, it was just a one day event and they let me choose the repertoire for the concert. I wanted to prepare something that was relevant to the Holocaust, so I did some research and found a lot of music by composers who had lived through the Holocaust. As a Jewish musician, I felt that I should have already heard about these composers. I decided that I wanted to dedicate something to them and that’s where it all began. We commission a piece of music by a young composer every year, which is a fantastic opportunity, but it also symbolises a continuation of the work of composers whose voices were cut short.

Alexandra Raikhlina is artistic director. Photograph: Nicholas Posner

How did you go about organising the festival?

I set-up the festival with my two friends and co-founders. We were originally quite inexperienced, so it was challenging at first. We had to get charity status and secure funding, so that we could bring all of our ideas to life.

How do you fund the festival?

It can be very difficult. Unfortunately, I sent out 18 applications for funding this year and only three were successful. Community Foundation, Newcastle City Council and the Radcliffe Trust are our main backers this year. We also fund the festival through private donations and ticket sales.

Why did you choose to name the festival after Brundibár?

It was difficult to decide on the name, but I chose it after reading the story behind Brundibár. The children of Theresienstadt sang in the opera 55 times and sadly, most of them died. The name is a dedication to those children.

Why is it important to showcase music and arts from the Holocaust?

There are very few, living Holocaust survivors and it the duty of younger generations to keep their stories alive. My way of telling these important stories is through music. The festival is educational and tries to involve local schools to educate children about the Holocaust.

What are you most looking forward to during the festival this year?

I am really excited about the productions of The Last Cyclist. It is a play that was originally written by Karel Švenk in Terezín concentration camp. The Council of Jewish Elders decided to ban the blatantly anti-Nazi play for fear of repercussions, so it was only ever performed during a dress rehearsal. Švenk and most of the cast perished in Terezín, but the main actress, Jana Šedová, survived and managed to piece the play together from memory. While the play has been performed many times in the US, this will be its European premiere. It’s very special.

You highlighted the educational aspect of the festival. Which local schools are involved this year?

I contacted many local schools this year, but only Gosforth middle schools agreed to get involved. We hosted educational workshops for students. I played music, a second generation Holocaust survivor shared her father’s story and the director of The Last Cyclist spoke to children at the school.

How has the festival been received in Newcastle and Gateshead?

The response from local people has been very warm and positive. We normally have 70-100 audience members per event. Most people attending the concerts will not be familiar with the repertoire and shouldn’t expect to hear Beethoven or Mozart, but everybody still really enjoys the music. The background stories of the chosen pieces help the audience to understand the music. I want to play music from the Holocaust alongside well known pieces, so that everyone can see how wonderful and worthy they are.

What are your plans for the future?

We are already in conversation with Opera North about doing a production of Brundibár with their youth choir next year. This year, the youth choir will be performing a piece they wrote after visiting a concentration camp last September. I would love to take the festival to other locations around the country. We held an event in London last year and had a great response.