NEW YORK-- On Saturday, March 28th, Ars Choralis will perform "Music In Desperate Times: Remembering The Women's Orchestra of Birkenau" with as much historical accuracy as possible. After thorough research and rehearsal, this choral/instrumental ensemble from Woodstock, N.Y. will recreate a little-known, but greatly touching story of how music saved the lives of the only women's orchestra in the Auschwitz/ Birkenau concentration camp during World War II.
Keeping with the limited instrumentation that was available to the women of Birkenau, Ars Choralis will perform unique arrangements of classical pieces by Mendelssohn, Pucci, Schumann and Chopin. The ensemble will don lavender scarves and white blouses similar to those worn by the Birkenau musicians, and recreate the camp orchestra by performing on: violins, mandolins, an accordion, a recorder, a flute, a cello, a piano and various percussion pieces
Tune in to WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show on Monday, March 16th at 12:40pm ET to hear Program Director Alice Radosh discuss the history and creation of "Music in Desperate Times."
Tickets for the show are $150 (dress circle), $45 (front reserved), $35 (front unreserved), and $25 (house) and can be purchased at http://tinyurl.com/Tickets-for-Performance or 866.811.4111.
About Ars Choralis
Ars Choralis is a nonprofit organization composed of 48 highly disciplined amateur singers dedicated to celebrating the human spirit through the performance of choral music of all periods and styles. They will be accompanied at this event by a small orchestra made up of professional and non-professional instrumentalists representing the Birkenau orchestra, and readers of the orchestra member's writings.
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/musicindesperatetimes/http://www.arschoralis.org/http://www.stjohndivine.org/ 
