MOBILE, Ala. – Faculty from the Alabama School of the Arts at the University of Mobile will present a lecture and performance based on the poetry of an Auschwitz survivor.
The event is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Holocaust Center and will be held March 1 at 4 p.m. at Springhill Avenue Temple, 1769 Springhill Ave., Mobile, AL 36607. Admission is free.
The following ASOTA faculty will present a lecture on Krystyna Zywulska’s experience at Auschwitz and perform two works by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer:
Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Lori Guy, Assistant Professor of Music and Voice Dr. Kathryn Hedlund, Director of Opera and Professor of Music and Voice Dr. Patrick Jacobs, and faculty member Christopher Powell.
Guy said this will be “an engaging afternoon where the audience will be captivated not only by the heartbreaking, fascinating story of Krystyna Zywulska but also by her words and the brilliant music of Jake Heggie.”
Krystyna Zywulska had not written a single song before being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau as a political prisoner in 1943. Writing lyrics and setting them to familiar tunes became her way of coping with the horror of life in the camp.
Krystyna did not create lyrics to save her life, but they did just that. Her superiors appreciated her music and made her “camp poet.” Krystyna was given a job in the Room of Personal Effects – which was a job that saved her life.
“Another sunrise” is a piece which portrays Krystyna struggling to tell the story of what happened to her while prisoner at Auschwitz. “Farewell, Auschwitz” is a companion piece which explores the actual lyrics Krystyna wrote – lyrics which depict experiences prisoners faced each day.
For more information about the Alabama School of the Arts, call 251.442.2383 or visit umobile.edu/asota.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Maggie Jones is a senior at the University of Mobile majoring in communication and minoring in music. She is a student ambassador as well as an intern for the university’s Office for Marketing and Public Relations. Maggie enjoys kayaking, watching movies and going on impromptu adventures around Mobile with friends.