Freiheit-Musik [Freedom Music]: Anti-Fascist Music of the Mid-20th Century

Dive into the rebellious songs that shaped a generation, featuring vocalists Amy Shake Ortiz and Alec Hicks, and pianist David Anderegg.
About this Event

Freheit-Musik: An Anti-Fascist Music Recital

This Freedom Music concert features vocal works by German and American anti-fascist writers and composers of the 1920s through the 1950s, including poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht and composers Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, and Marc Blitzstein. Each of these artists faced censorship, persecution, and, in some cases, exile because of their work and beliefs.

Brief spoken introductions and visual art before each set will provide historical context, exploring Weimar Germany, the vibrant anti-fascist cultural movement, and the responses of both the Nazi regime and, later, the U.S. government through the Works Progress Administration and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Some selections may be familiar, particularly songs from Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera, while others, such as Eisler's haunting Hollywooder Liederbuch [Hollywood Songbook], are less frequently performed.

While this concert does not explicitly focus on contemporary anti-fascist art or present-day censorship, it invites audiences to reflect on the consequences of societies that fail to protect artists' freedom of expression.

A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization that has provided legal advocacy and support for civil rights for more than 55 years. The SPLC is currently defending itself against a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration that seeks to curtail its work (for more information, we suggest https://joycevance.substack.com/p/investigating-the-good-guys). We hope this concert will help support the Center's ongoing efforts to advance justice, protect civil rights, and promote equal opportunity for all people in the United States.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the West Stockbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.