Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

May 18, 2022

The Worlds of Refugee Musicians

A newly formed Ukrainian refugee orchestra follows in the footsteps of countless uprooted musicians, including many Holocaust survivors.

By the mid-20th century, Elizabeth Braw reports, “virtually every American conservatoire and symphony orchestra [included] highly skilled musicians from countries ravaged either by the Nazis, the Soviets, or both.” Since that time, a sort of community has formed around musicians who fled violence and brought distinctive musical traditions to their new homes. As Braw notes, many such musicians will soon assemble in the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, a project of New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera.

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