Detroit - Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings’ latest project invites audiences on an intellectual and artistic exploration centered around the creative outputs resulting from the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide and the African Diaspora. The project, which begins in January 2024, brings together a collection of community partners for a series of musically centered events continuing through February 2024.   

Titled “Perseverance of the Human Spirit,” this project is a collaborative effort between Temple Emanu-El, St. John Armenian Church and Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. Each congregation will rely on its own talent and leadership to share the stories and artistic outputs created by its community. Additional collaborators include the Detroit Opera Resident Artists, the Zekelman Holocaust Center, as well as subject-matter experts from the Western Wayne County NAACP, the Detroit Center for Civil Discourse and the University of Michigan.

The schedule of events is as follows:

 - January 14, 2024: As part of a closed event, students from Temple Emanu-El’s Yachad Religious School will create art sets centered around the topic of “perseverance of the human spirit.” These sets will be displayed on the stage during the February 10 concert performance at Temple Emanu-El (14450 W 10 Mile Rd, Oak Park, Mich. 48237). This event is not open to the public.

 - January 21, 2024, at 4 p.m.: Rubik Malian, music director of St. John Armenian Church (22001 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, Mich. 48075), takes audiences through an artistic exploration of the life and work of Gomidas Vartabed, a genocide survivor and a pioneer of Armenian musicology. Afterward, patrons are invited for a guided tour of the remarkable collection of Armenian art held at the St. John Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum.

 - January 25, 2024, at 7 p.m.: Pianist Alvin Waddles leads a multimedia presentation at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church (18700 James Couzens Fwy, Detroit, Mich. 48235). This event focuses on the creative outputs of the Black community, exploring how creativity has become an important vehicle for expression and social justice.

 - February 4, 2024, at 3 p.m.: University of Michigan Professor of Music Patricia Hall will lead an insightful discussion at Temple Emanu-El about music arranged by Jewish inmates in Auschwitz.  

 - February 10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.: The?“Creativity in the Face of Oppression” concert includes performances of works by Gomidas and Black spirituals. The event, at Temple Emanu-El, culminates with Viktor Ullmann’s one-act opera,?“Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis),” performed by Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program and core Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings musicians.

 - February 18, 2024, at 3 p.m.: The project concludes with a panel discussion and reception at Temple Emanu-El. Panelists include Rabbi Asher Lopatin, who serves as executive director for the Detroit Center for Civil Discourse, Western Wayne County NAACP executive board member Rev. Jean Overman and Very Reverend Fr. Aren Jebejian, the pastor at St. John Armenian Church. The discussion will be moderated by Rabbi Matthew Zerwekh, Temple Emanu-El’s senior rabbi.  

“We are fortunate to work with leaders in our community to bring this project together,” said Maury Okun, DCWS president. “The explorations encompassed in this project are a testament to how the arts play a significant role in community healing and preserving history.”

The project is centered around the concert on February 10, which, in addition to Ullmann’s opera, will include performances of works by Gomidas and Black spirituals. Aside from the concert, all of the events will be free and open to the public.  

Participants who attend the three public events prior to February 10 will be able to attend the concert without charge.

Tickets to the concert, as well as registration to all additional events, are available at: https://detroitchamberwinds.org/phs/ 

This project is funded in part by an award from the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council.